Medical Breakthrough — New Sinus Relief with a Balloon
Published: May 18, 2006
pring is here, and with the new season comes allergies and sinus problems.
Nearly 40 million Americans suffer from chronic sinus infections.
Until now, the only hope was full blown surgery to correct the problem.
Now, some surgeons are using a new, gentler technique.
Today, Judy Caletti enjoys her time outdoors. A few weeks ago, she was in severe pain.
“I was just completely washed out. Everything was an effort, even getting a shower and brushing my teeth,” says the chronic sinusitis patient.
“I didn’t go out much. I didn’t do any shopping,” says Judy.
Dr. Winston Vaughan says the condition is common.
“Chronic infections are usually due to blockage. So you have large rooms, the sinus cavities with small hallways and small doorways. When the hallways and doorways get into trouble, the rooms produce mucus, which cannot drain,” says Dr. Vaughan, a head and neck surgeon at the California Sinus Institute in Palo Alto, California.
To drain the “rooms”, Dr. Vaughan offered Judy a new procedure called balloon sinuplasty. He threads a catheter through the nostril and into the sinus cavities. He then inserts a wire, followed by a balloon.
“And we blow the balloon up and expand the doorway by expanding the balloon.”
The balloon pushes the blockage out of the way. Unlike standard surgery, it destroys little or no tissue. That offers some big benefits.
“Less pain, less bleeding, faster recovery and a more naturally functioning nasal cavity,” says Dr. Vaughan.
“I finally could smell the flowers, and they smelled really good to me,” says Judy.
Judy says she feels like her old self again, “I got my life back.”
Most of all, she likes being pain-free.
Another advantage of sinuplasty is patients don’t require nasal packing to prevent bleeding.
Standard surgery takes about a week of recovery time.
Most balloon sinuplasty patients are able to function by the next day.
Right now, about 20 centers across the country are offering the procedure.
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