Am I a Candidate for Balloon Sinuplasty?

Do you suffer from recurring or chronic sinusitis? Have over-the-counter remedies and prescription medications like antibiotics and corticosteroids failed to stop your sinus infections from coming back? Does your sinusitis last longer than three months at a time? If so, you may be a candidate for a simple, minimally invasive procedure called balloon sinuplasty.

In this blog, the sinusitis specialists at Lakeside Allergy ENT will explain who is a candidate for Balloon Sinuplasty.

What Is a Balloon Sinuplasty?

This cutting edge FDA-approved procedure allows a physician to open up blocked sinus passageways to allow the removal of thick, built-up mucus, providing relief to chronically inflamed sinus linings. The balloon also expands the sinus walls without damaging the sensitive structure of the sinus lining. The procedure is similar to balloon angioplasty, the technique heart surgeons use to open blocked arteries. Studies of clinical data published in leading ENT journals show that the procedure is proven to be a safe and effective treatment option that offers long lasting, positive outcomes. Most patients who’ve been successfully treated with this procedure would highly recommend it to others suffering from chronic sinus infections.

Balloon sinuplasty offers a wide array of advantages over more conservative treatment options and traditional surgery. It’s much less invasive than regular surgery and has the added benefit of not limiting future treatment options, if necessary. More advantages of the procedure include:

• No surgical cutting
• No bone or tissue removal
• No side effects
• Quick recovery time with minimal bleeding
• Long-term, positive results
• Fast return to daily routine in usually one to two days

What Symptoms Qualify You for a Balloon Sinuplasty?

Patients who experience chronic sinusitis that doesn’t resolve for more than three months are prime candidates for this procedure. You may quality for the procedure if you suffer from:

• Recurring or chronic sinusitis
• Sinus infections that don’t respond to medication and other more conservative treatments
• Sinus infections that occur with or without allergies
• Recurring sinus infections after previous traditional surgery
• Recurring sinus infections with or without the presence of a deviated septum

Additional symptoms that may make you a candidate for the procedure include:

• Nasal congestion
• Facial pressure and pain
• Headaches
• Bad breath
• Tooth ache
• Nighttime coughing and congestion
• Increased asthma symptoms
• Dizziness
• Runny nose
• Reduced sense of taste

What is Involved in Balloon Sinuplasty?

Balloon sinuplasty involves four steps:

1. Once anesthesia is administered, a balloon catheter is inserted into the nasal cavity.
2. The balloon expands to open up the sinus passageway.
3. A saline spray flushes away built up mucus and infected fluids.
4. The apparatus is deflated and carefully removed, leaving the sinus passages open and less likely to succumb to future infection.

Where Can I Get an Evaluation for Balloon Sinuplasty in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area?

At Lakeside Allergy ENT, we are home to Texas’s best otolaryngologist specialists. Our physicians have extensive experience treating ENT conditions and treat patients of all ages in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in our convenient office locations in Forney and Rockwall.

You don’t have to suffer with chronic sinus infections any longer. If you believe you might be a candidate for balloon sinuplasty, our physicians will thoroughly examine you, consider your entire health history, and determine if balloon sinuplasty would be the best treatment option for your symptoms.

Give us a call today at Lakeside Allergy ENT at 972-771-5443 or fill out the form on our website to schedule an appointment.