Medical content: Op. Dr. Tamer Haliloğlu · Last updated:
What is Balloon Sinuplasty?
The sinuses, eight in total and spread evenly on the right and left sides of the nose, humidify the inhaled air and filter out germs and bacteria before it reaches the lungs when they function healthily. When the sinuses cannot filter them, the person becomes ill and begins to show various symptoms. It affects daily life and, if it progresses, may even put life at risk. Untreated sinusitis is expected to cause inflammation that can spread to the eye and brain, leading to loss of function there. Although these are low probabilities, sinusitis should be regarded as a disease that should not be neglected. Particles and dust floating in the air are also carried with each breath and try to enter the body. That is why it is important to have healthy sinuses. Infected sinuses cannot work properly and cause the person to experience a number of problems. Allergens can also prevent the sinuses from working. Blows to the nose or congenital curvatures, dental treatments, respiratory tract infections, tumors or other disorders can also be causes of sinusitis. Sinusitis may appear with temperature changes when the ground is already prepared. Although studies on this subject are ongoing, it is also possible that chronic sinusitis may lead to sleep apnea in the long term. While some sinusitis can be treated with medication, surgical intervention is required for others. Balloon sinuplasty is one of the options.
Types of Sinusitis
Sinusitis can be divided into types. It can be considered in several categories according to its duration, age, the inflamed area or the causative agent. Among the types classified by duration, acute sinusitis begins suddenly and its symptoms take up to four weeks to subside. Subacute sinusitis can last longer than this, and the effect of treatment is seen quite late. If this treatment does not lead to any improvement within eight or twelve weeks, it shows that the sinusitis has become chronic. If sinusitis is experienced four or more times a year, it is called recurrent sinusitis.
Sinusitis that varies by age can be divided into childhood and adult sinusitis. The reason is that the sinuses in children are less developed. In addition, problems caused by the adenoids are frequently experienced. Since the adenoids disappear after the age of sixteen, such problems may not be seen in adults. Sinusitis can also be examined according to the inflamed area. Sinusitis in the cheek area is called maxillary sinusitis, while that seen in the sinuses between the eyes is called ethmoid sinusitis. Sphenoid sinusitis located in the middle of the head and frontal sinusitis in the forehead are other regional types. Pansinusitis is the term used when all regions are inflamed. Balloon sinuplasty contributes to a high success rate especially in the treatment of frontal sinusitis. When sinusitis is classified according to its causative agent, two things come to mind: is it bacterial or fungal? Because if the appropriate treatment is not applied, fungal sinusitis can insidiously cause trouble for years. In particular, people who travel to different regions making this detail known during the examination will make diagnosis easier.
In addition to all these, there are types of sinusitis that can be associated with other diseases. Odontogenic sinusitis is one of them. In the diagnosis of this inflammation, which can occur after any dental treatment, informing your doctor about procedures recently performed in your mouth saves time. Allergic sinusitis also falls into this group. Genetic sinusitis is diagnosed in childhood and its treatment is generally not possible. The term polypoid sinusitis is also used for sinusitis whose cause cannot be determined.
Symptoms of Sinusitis and Treatment Options
Nasal discharge is one of the most obvious symptoms; however, it should be noted that this refers to extreme discharge lasting up to ten days. Postnasal drip is another sign. In addition, headache is frequently seen. Depending on the inflamed area, this pain spreads to various parts of the face and causes more widespread pain. Fever may occur. In the following days, coughing, loss of smell and a feeling of fullness in the ears may appear.
Nasal obstruction can also cause interrupted sleep at night and snoring. Bad breath and swelling around the eyes may also be among the symptoms. Even if some or all of these symptoms are present, diagnosing sinusitis yourself may not be right. You should definitely make an appointment with a specialist to make the diagnosis and apply the treatment appropriate for your condition. Even if your assessment is correct, you may not be able to determine the cause and choose the right treatment. If the cause is bacterial, your doctor will probably prescribe antibiotic treatment. However, if it is allergic, you will need to use different medications. In viral cases, since there will be no fever, much milder medications will probably be prescribed, because the symptoms will not be as severe as in bacterial sinusitis.
On the other hand, in sinusitis caused by structural problems of the nose, if the recommended treatments have not worked for more than twelve weeks, or if polyps are present, surgical intervention is considered. This would require making an incision in the face to access the sinuses. If balloon sinuplasty is preferred, a balloon is used to open the narrow sinus channels. This reduces the risk of surgery and shortens the recovery period.
Advantages of Balloon Sinuplasty
Although this method, called balloon sinuplasty, is quite new, it is frequently preferred because it carries little risk and offers a quick return to daily life. The idea behind the procedure is to achieve a more natural widening thanks to the balloon placed in the narrow sinus channels.
It is one of the recommended methods because the patient can return to normal life within a day. With the help of a wire, the three sinuses called the large sinuses are entered. Since the balloon catheter is wrapped around the wire, it is easy to advance to the target area. Once the area is reached, the narrow channel gradually widens thanks to the inflated balloon, which achieves this by applying pressure in the area. The area is rinsed, giving the patient the opportunity to live with healthy sinuses for a long time. Since the sinus freed from obstruction will work healthily, the patient’s complaints will subside. This method can be preferred in many types of sinusitis. Some sinusitis may be resistant; in such cases, the procedure is performed with drug-coated balloons to get more benefit from the operation. However, in polyp-related sinusitis or ethmoid sinusitis affecting the area around the eye, the traditional surgical method is still recommended.
On the other hand, balloon sinuplasty, planned as far as the type of sinusitis allows, can also be performed under local anesthesia on request, making it a good option for patients at higher risk of anesthesia problems. Because the equipment used causes much less tissue damage in the area than other surgical methods, it should be said that recovery is fast and largely complete. Although the widened channels are expected to maintain their function for as long as two years, if this method does not work, it does not prevent other methods from being applied later. Therefore, since it is less risky and highly successful, there is clearly no harm in preferring this method first. Bleeding is minimal, and bruising under the eyes or around the nose is unlikely. Although it is the method with the least concern about complications, doctors state that, because it is a new method, its true effect will be seen more clearly in the future.
You can watch my video explaining the balloon sinuplasty method in detail here:
