Balloon Sinuplasty versus Traditional Sinus Headache Treatments - South Florida Sinus and Allergy Center


Balloon Sinuplasty versus Traditional Sinus Headache Treatments

If you have sinusitis, you know it needs treatment. The symptoms can be nearly intolerable. You may have pain around your eyes, nose, ears, and jaw. Your nose may be stuffed, and you may have yellow-green, thick discharge.

The headaches may be the worst. They result from the pressure building up in your sinuses, and can be debilitating. If your headaches are bad enough, they can make it difficult for you to get through the day while staying focused and being productive.

Dr. Lee Mandel can provide a variety of treatments to address sinusitis, at South Florida Sinus and Allergy Center, Inc.. They can relieve symptoms, but they may not all be good enough. He may provide only temporary relief, for example, lead to complications, or leave you with side effects. Balloon

Conservative Treatments: Often Insufficient

You can use home remedies to try to clear out your sinuses, relieve pressure, and reduce sinus headaches. Drinking more fluids can help if you are not drinking enough. You can also try moisturizing your sinuses by breathing in the vapor from a container of fairly hot water. Warm compresses can also improve moisturizing efforts.

The first treatments Dr. Lee Mandel may recommend may include medications. Pain medications and decongestants can provide temporary relief from sinus headaches. As a more aggressive measure, you may receive a prescription for corticosteroids to reduce inflammation in your sinus cavities.

Balloon Sinuplasty versus Conservative Treatments: Usage

The effects of the above conservative treatments may last only a short while, allowing your sinuses to build up pressure and your headaches to return within weeks or months. The next line of defense may be either balloon sinuplasty or the more traditional functional endoscopic sinusitis surgery, or FESS. These are aimed at providing longer lasting results, but they have their differences.

Balloon Sinuplasty versus FESS: Technique and Procedure

Traditional FESS involves removal of what is obstructing the sinus passageway. The sinus cavity is accessed by cutting an incision in the mouth or nearby skin. In balloon sinuplasty, no cutting is necessary. Also, no tissue is removed. Instead, the passages are cleared by cleaning out the offending obstruction and allowing natural drainage to resume.

Balloon sinuplasty can be done in many clinics if you go to an ear, nose, and throat specialist who is trained in this technique. For FESS, you will likely get your procedure done in a hospital, which can be costlier. Also, getting your FESS in a hospital can lead to less chance of proper follow-up with the surgeon.

Balloon Sinuplasty versus FESS: Recovery and Beyond

Traditional FESS requires general anesthesia, which is not appropriate for all patients and can lead to longer recovery times. Balloon sinuplasty may require only local anesthesia, or conscious sedation. You can probably return to work within days.

Both techniques are highly effective, and patients have a good chance of experiencing lasting results. Long-term serious side effects and complications are rare. You can have long-term resolution of your sinus headaches. Both procedures have a small risk of the need to repeat the operation, but this is very rare at South Florida Sinus and Allergy Center, Inc., located in Plantation & Fort Lauderdale FL .

Home remedies and conservative approaches such as medications are the first treatments to try, but you may need more effective treatments for recurring or chronic sinusitis and the headaches that result. Compared to FESS, balloon sinuplasty is newer and less destructive, and it requires less recovery time than FESS.