What are the types of sinus surgeries?

I you have chronic sinusitis and continue to have bothersome symptoms despite the use of multiple medications, you are probably wondering about your surgical treatment options. There are multiple options for chronic sinusitis treatment in Chicago through the doctors at the Advanced Center for Specialty Care. Dr. Michael Friedman and Dr. TK Venkatasen have surgically treated thousands of patients with sinus disease and can offer numerous surgical treatments that will be custom tailored to meet each of your individual needs. Both doctors are faculty at Rush University Medical Center, have had extensive training in the treatment of nasal and sinus disorders and have published many studies on sinus disease and treatment. Dr. Friedman is also the Chairman of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.

These doctors provide sinus obstruction and sinus infection treatment in Chicago at Illinois Masonic Medical Center. Endoscopic sinsus surgery is a general name for surgical treatment of the sinuses. The surgeon will operate on the sinuses that are causing your symptoms and leave others alone. This means that some people will have endoscopic sinus surgery on only one or two of their sinuses while others will have surgery on all of their sinuses.

During endoscopic sinus surgery, the surgeon uses instruments passed through the nose to remove inflamed or infected tissue and polyps and to enlarge the sinus drainage pathways. The surgeon uses a very small camera that is also inserted into the nose, allowing better visualization and magnification of the nose and sinuses. No incisions are made on the face for this operations; therefore there will be no visible scars.

Balloon sinuplasty is a newer procedure that is even more minimally invasive than traditional endoscopic sinus surgery. This procedure involves the passage of a balloon into the sinus opening (ostium) and dilating the balloon to enlarge the ostium. This procedure differs in that it does not involve the removal of tissues and bone. Often, balloon sinuplasty is performed for some sinuses and traditional endoscopic sinus surgery is performed for the treatment of other sinuses during the same operation.

Turbinates are tissue structures that project from the lateral side of the nose and serve to warm and humidify air when a person breathes in. Turbinates serve an important function, but when they become enlarged, they may obstruct the sinuses. When this happens, they may need to be partially removed.

The nasal septum may be deviated towards one side of the nose, narrowing the airway on that side. When this deviation leads to problems, it can be reconstructed from the inside of the nose.

The nasal valve is the portion of the nose located where the nostrils indent inward. In some people, this valve is not well supported and can collapse inward during inspiration, narrowing the nasal airway. Correction of nasal valve obstruction through nasal valve suspension is a minimally invasive procedure in which a suture is placed inside the nose at the nasal valve and anchored to the bone beneath the eye. This suture does not alter the shape of the nose but will provide the necessary support to prevent valve collapse.