By Rob O’Bert, MD

Sinusitis is a very common medical condition affecting tens of millions of Americans each year.

There are eight sinuses contained within the bones of the face and any of them can become affected by sinusitis. Sinusitis refers to infection within the sinuses or inflammation of their linings caused by a blockage of the drainage openings in the sinuses. Symptoms of sinusitis can be quite debilitating and include headaches, facial pressure or pain, congestion and drainage.

For most patients, the condition is temporary and clears up without intervention, or it responds to antibiotics. For some patients, however, the infection or inflammation may persist for months or even years despite appropriate medical therapy. This condition is known as chronic sinusitis and may necessitate a trip to an otolaryngologist (a physician who specializes in ears, nose and throat).

Studies have shown that the impact of chronic sinusitis on quality of life can be more significant than congestive heart failure, COPD or back pain. For many patients, the thought of sinus surgery can be quite scary. A substantial percentage of patients who may benefit from surgery decide against it because of the perception that the surgery is invasive and recovery is difficult.

In fact, it was a patient just like this who invented balloon sinuplasty technology in 2004. This technology is very similar to angioplasty (the dilation of vessels supplying the heart by balloons). One of the main problems in chronic sinusitis is blockage of the sinus openings, which can have a diameter as small as a coffee stirrer.

Anything that inflames the linings of these openings, such as allergies, pollutants or infections, can lead to a blockage of the openings and the development of chronic sinusitis. One of the main goals of sinus surgery is to permanently enlarge these small openings so that they cannot become blocked again in the future.

Whereas traditional sinus surgery techniques involve the removal of bone and other tissue in the sinuses to enlarge their openings, the balloon dilation technique can create similarly sized openings without the removal of tissue.

A small catheter is placed inside the nasal passageways under endoscopic (a small fiberoptic tube) guidance. Through that catheter, a tiny flexible guide wire is passed into the sinus, and the balloon is inserted into the sinus opening. The balloon is then inflated, causing microscopic fractures in the thin bone of the sinus openings. These small fracture lines heal in the new dilated position, meaning the dilated passages stay open long term.

Most patients undergoing balloon sinus surgery will find the recovery to be easier and quicker than with traditional surgery. This new technology has opened the door for many chronic sinusitis sufferers who were previously reluctant to have surgery. Unfortunately, not every patient or even every type of sinus is a candidate for this technique. Although this procedure is very useful, I use a variety of techniques to formulate a custom approach to each patient’s problems.