When medical treatments for chronic sinusitis have failed to cure a patient’s symptoms

Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Sinus Surgery: When medical treatments for chronic sinusitis have failed to cure a patient’s symptoms, our doctors may recommend minimally invasive endoscopic sinus surgery. This surgical procedure utilizes fiber-optic scopes for visualization inside the nasal passages. The natural drainage pathways of the sinuses are widened to allow removal of infected mucous and polyps within the sinuses. All of the work is done through the nose without any facial incisions. The surgery relieves sinus headaches and congestion, improves nasal breathing, removes polyps if present, and often enhances the sense of smell. Computer-guided navigation is used intra-operatively for complex cases to minimize the risk to surrounding normal structures.

Septoplasty: The nasal “septum” is the internal wall that separates the left and right nasal passages. A deviation of the septum can contribute to nasal obstruction and is easily repaired via an outpatient surgery called septoplasty. During a septoplasty, the surgeon will straighten deformed or twisted cartilage inside the nasal septum to improve the nasal air passages. The procedure is performed via incisions inside the nose leaving no external scars. The appearance of the nose is not altered. A septoplasty is often performed in conjunction with other nasal procedures.

Turbinate Reduction Surgery: The inferior turbinates are bones present on the inside of each nasal passage. The turbinate bones are covered by soft tissue which can become inflamed from chronic infection or allergies. Enlarged inferior turbinates are a common cause of chronic nasal congestion. Initial treatment is often directed at the underlying problem causing the inflammation. If medications fail to adequately reduce the turbinate swelling, then surgical reduction can be performed. There are various ways to reduce the size of the turbinates, from shrinking the soft tissue with electrical energy to partial resection of the turbinate bone. Each has advantages and disadvantages over the other choices. The best approach for each patient would be discussed at the time of the office visit.

Nasal polyps are soft, painless, noncancerous growths on the lining of your nasal passages or sinuses

Nasal polyps are soft, painless, noncancerous growths on the lining of your nasal passages or sinuses. They hang down like teardrops or grapes. They result from chronic inflammation due to asthma, recurring infection, allergies, drug sensitivity or certain immune disorders. Small nasal polyps may not cause symptoms. Larger growths or groups of nasal polyps can block your nasal passages or lead to breathing problems, a lost sense of smell, and frequent infections.

Nasal polyps can affect anyone, but they're more common in adults. Medications can often shrink or eliminate nasal polyps, but surgery is sometimes needed to remove them. Even after successful treatment, nasal polyps often return. With surgical treatment, most symptoms get significantly better. However, if you’ve lost some sense of smell, it may never return. Even with surgery, nasal polyps may regrow in up to 15 percent of patients with a chronic nasal problem.

A nasal polyp is a small, typically benign, teardrop-shaped growth on the lining of the sinus cavity or nasal passages. You might also picture them as small, peeled grapes. They appear as a result of several different issues, including: prolonged swelling of the nasal tissues, chronic sinusitis, allergies, asthma or as a side effect of certain drugs. Nasal polyps vary in size. Smaller growths are often unnoticeable because they present no symptoms. More sizeable polyps, on the other hand, can cause great discomfort, since they can block the sinus passages, affecting your ability to breathe and predisposing you to acute or chronic sinusitis.

Nasal polyps often appear after a sinus infection that lasts for an extended period of time – typically 12 weeks or greater, although you need not always suffer a sinus infection in order to contract nasal polyps. Sometimes they are the result of genetics. People of all ages are at risk of contracting nasal polyps, although medical researchers report that the most frequently affected populations are the young and middle-aged.

Nasal polyps are common, noncancerous, teardrop-shaped growths that form in the nose or sinuses

Nasal polyps are common, noncancerous, teardrop-shaped growths that form in the nose or sinuses, usually around the area where the sinuses open into the nasal cavity. Mature nasal polyps look like seedless, peeled grapes. Often associated with allergies or asthma, nasal polyps may cause no symptoms, especially if they're small, and require no treatment. But larger nasal polyps can block normal drainage from the sinuses. When too much mucus accumulates in the sinuses, it can become infected, which accounts for the thick, discolored drainage in the nose and throat that affects many people with nasal polyps.

Nasal polyps shouldn't be confused with the polyps that form in the colon or bladder. Unlike these types of polyps, they're rarely malignant. Usually, they're thought to result from chronic inflammation or a family tendency to develop nasal polyps. Nor should nasal polyps be confused with swollen turbinates, which are the normal tissue that lines the side of the nose. Unlike swollen turbinates, they're not painful to the touch.

Nasal polyps grow in inflamed tissue of the nasal mucosa. The mucosa is a very wet layer that helps protect the inside of your nose and sinuses and humidifies the air you breathe. During an infection or allergy-induced irritation, the nasal mucosa becomes swollen and red, and it may produce fluid that drips out. With prolonged irritation, the mucosa may form a polyp. A polyp is a round growth (like a small cyst) that can block nasal passages.Nasal polyps are soft, painless growths inside the nasal passages.

They often occur in the area where the upper sinuses drain into your nose (where your eyes, nose, and cheekbones meet). You may not even know that you have polyps because they lack nerve sensation. A nasal polyp will likely be visible if your doctor looks up into your nasal passages with a lighted instrument called an otoscope or nasoscope. If the polyp is deeper in your sinuses, your doctor may need to perform a nasal endoscopy. This procedure involves your doctor guiding a thin, flexible tube with a light and camera at the end into your nasal passages.