SINUS AND ALLERGY

SEPTOPLASTY

Septoplasty is a surgical procedure to straighten the bone and cartilage dividing the space between your two nostrils (septum). When the septum is crooked, it’s known as a deviated septum. A deviated septum can make it harder to breathe through your nose and can increase the risk of sinus infections due to poor drainage.

DEVIATED SEPTUM AND SEPTOPLASTY

What is a Deviated Nasal Septum?

A deviated septum involves a displacement of the septum, the wall that separates the nostrils, to one side of the nose.

This condition makes one nasal passage smaller than the other, which can affect breathing if the displacement is great enough.

Patients with a severe deviated septum may experience nasal congestion, nosebleeds and frequent or recurring sinus infections because of their uneven nasal passages.

Surgery may be required to correct the displacement. Surgery involves a procedure called a septoplasty to reposition the septum in the center of the nose.

SINUS SURGERY IS USED TO RELIEVE SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH:

• Sinusitis and nasal polyps
• Nasal congestion
• Nasal obstruction
• Recurrent or chronic sinus infections
• Nasal tumors
  

ENDOSCOPIC SINUS SURGERY

Endoscopic sinus surgery is a procedure used to remove blockages in the sinuses. These blockages may cause pain, drainage, recurring infections, impaired breathing or loss of smell.

Endoscopic Sinus urgery involves the insertion of the endoscope, a very thin fiber-optic tube, into the nose for a direct visual examination of the openings into the sinuses. With state of the art endoscopes and instruments, abnormal and obstructive tissues are then removed. In the majority of cases, the surgical procedure is performed entirely through the nostrils, leaving no external scars. There is little swelling and only mild to moderate discomfort.

FUNCTIONAL ENDOSCOPIC SINUS SURGERY (FESS)

The advantage of the procedure is that the surgery is less extensive, there is often less removal of normal tissues, and can be usually performed on an outpatient basis. Nasal irrigation after sinus surgery is important to prevent infection and remove mucus and debris in the sinuses.

BALLOON SINUPLASTY

Most of us have had a runny or stuffy nose, known as acute sinusitis, at some point in our lifetime. But chronic sinusitis occurs when the sinuses passages — four pairs of hollow cavities in the nose and head — swell and are unable to properly drain for a period of three months or longer.



The sinuses are hollow spaces in the skull (i.e. the frontal, ethmoid, sphenoid and maxillary) which serve to lighten the skull and give resonance to the voice. The purpose of the sinuses, which open into the nasal cavity, is to generate mucus to keep the nose from drying out during breathing and to trap unwanted materials so that they do not reach the lungs.

Each sinus has an opening that allows mucus to drain – this drainage is essential to keeping your sinuses working well and you healthy. Anything that obstructs that flow may cause a buildup of mucus and lead to a sinus infection.

SINUS SURGERY FOR SINUSITIS TREATMENT – BALLOON SINUPLASTY

Safe and effective – Balloon Sinuplasty is a minimally invasive, breakthrough technology used by Dr. Ulrich to treat recurrent acute sinusitis patients, or chronic sinusitis patients, who have sinusitis symptoms that have not responded to sinus medications and therapies. Studies following chronic sinusitis patients report durable results lasting up to two years after the procedure.

Balloon Sinuplasty can be performed right in our office under local anesthesia. Dr. Ulrich begins by inserting a small, flexible balloon catheter into the nose to reach the inflamed sinus. The sinus balloon is slowly inflated to restructure the blocked sinus passage.

Unlike conventional sinus surgery, Balloon Sinuplasty preserves the normal anatomy of the sinuses and mucosal tissue and does not require the removal of bone and tissue.