In the realm of surgery of the sinuses, there have been a number of significant advances. The first has been the nasal endoscope which we use to make better diagnoses and to visualize the internal anatomy of the nose and sinuses. The second has been the shaver-debrider that helps us to remove inflamed tissue while preserving relatively normal tissue. These two advances have improved the outcomes of sinus surgery while helping to mitigate the risk of complications.
The latest advance and perhaps most interesting has been the development of guided catheters that include an inflatable balloon. Using nasal endoscopes to visualize the entrance to the sinuses, these catheters are advanced into the sinus. The accompanying balloon is gently inflated to widen the sinus tract, and withdrawn leaving a wider sinus opening. The reason we think that this may be the third great advance of the past twenty years is that balloon sinus ostia dilatation may allow us to treat refractory sinusitis with an office-based procedure eliminating altogether the need for sinus surgery. Our goal is to find ways to treat our patients better, faster, with less discomfort, and minimizing any time away from family or work.
Together with other centers across the United States, we are participating in prospective studies with oversight from Institutional Review Boards (IRB). There are currently two companies with technologies for office-based sinus ostial balloon dilation, and our Center is a study site for both. Please click the links below to see more about this innovative technology.
We welcome any and all patients with sinus and/or allergy problems to see us for an opinion, and to learn about the qualifications to participate in these studies.
