Gateway Reporter

People who suffer from chronic sinus infections may be ideal candidates for a sinus surgery that allows for long-term relief from disruptive symptoms.

While most sinus infections will clear up on their own or with help from antibiotics and other over-the-counter medications, conditions like chronic sinusitis may require more extensive treatment, according to WebMD. 

"So it's really become more of a more directed, minimally invasive procedure, maintaining tissues," Dr. Manish Khanna of Capitol Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers told Gateway Reporter. "Making openings bigger, making the openings to the sinus cavities more functional than just the name -- it changed from 'endoscopic sinus surgery' back in the '80s to 'functional endoscopic sinus surgery' now. And with the advent of balloon sinuplasty, where there is really no tissue removal, you are making the openings bigger without doing any aggressive cutting. Recovery times are much, much more improved."

With the less-invasive procedures, patients can resume their normal activities and lives more quickly, Khanna said. And even the balloon technology is getting better. "It's getting less invasive and more directed, more accurate and easier for us, as the surgeons, to manage, and patient tolerance is getting better, too."

In balloon sinuplasty, a doctor inserts a balloon into the sinuses and inflates it to clear the passageways, allowing the sinuses to drain better. 

"Septal balloon repositioning is one that's out there, where instead of removing portions of bone and cartilage and having these longer recovery times, we're actually getting the same results, in terms of better breathing, helping improving snoring without tissue removal, without sutures that patients have to deal with," Khanna said.

Other choices include ClariFix and LATERA, procedures that can be done in the office and are designed to help with a patient's breathing and to help what's called lateral nasal wall collapse, according to Khanna.

Balloon sinuplasty is really intended for those who have failed medical management and continue to suffer from sinus infections, headaches, sinus pressure and post-nasal drainage, noting that this procedure also helps with the reduction in mucus production. 

Another type of popular sinus surgery is endoscopy, a method in which a doctor inserts very thin and flexible instruments called endoscopes into the nose. One instrument has a camera to send images back to a screen and another has instruments to remove polyps, scar tissue or other obstructions causing nasal blockages. Endoscopy is generally done with a local anesthetic, so the patient remains awake, and recovery time is quick, according to WebMD. 

The goal of any sinus surgery is to relieve a patient's symptoms and cut down on the number of sinus infections a patient gets. Sinus surgery can also benefit patients by allowing better breathing, reducing chronic congestion and restoring the patient's sense of smell or taste.

If you are experiencing chronic sinus issues, take the Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz to see if making an appointment with a doctor may help.