| Q. |
When
is sinus surgery the treatment of choice? |
| A. |
When
there is pure blockage of the sinus openings and medical treatment
and home irrigation with the pulsatile irrigator hasn't cleared the
condition. Also if the sinus condition - infection, pressure, etc
is causing symptoms |
|
|
| Q. |
I
have heard that Sinus surgery often fails is this true? |
| A. |
Sometimes
the condition that one is treating by surgery returns or is not
cured. There are conditions that defy treatment at this time. No
matter how excellent a job we do, the condition is not cured. But
if we don't do the surgery the patient will be worse off. Usually
we can give the patient the statistics as to the benefits of the
surgery.
|
|
|
| Q. |
Are
there different types of sinus surgery? |
| A. |
Sometimes
we only go to open the sinus openings that have closed. Sometimes,
we must enter the sinus cavity and remove diseased tissue. Today
telescopes through the nose perform much of the surgery.
|
|
|
| Q. |
Are
some types of sinus surgery more successful than others? |
| A. |
Most
doctors use the techniques shown to be most effective. In some cases
we like to use Insta Trak , a method of displaying the sinuses in
3 dimensions and showing the location of the instruments at all
times.
|
|
|
| Q. |
How
can I tell whether my doctor really knows what he is doing? |
| A. |
You
can ask your family doctor about this doctor's reputation, what
hospital staff he is a member of, and so on.
|
|
|
| Q. |
Are
some doctors over prescribing sinus surgery? |
| A. |
Probably
not. Surgery is done for sinus problems in other countries at a
far greater rate than here. They may not have the luxury of frequent
office visits, long term antibiotics, and so on. Remember, any doctor
can say "Let's wait for surgery and try this first". That doesn't
mean that this is the best approach for the patient. We see lots
of patients who would have been better off if they had had their
surgery years ago when the condition was early.
|
|
|
| Q. |
What
should I try first in the way of other remedial actions before
going to sinus surgery? |
| A. |
Try
some of the suggestions at Ent-Consult.com.
and Sinuses.com.
Also read the Sinus FAQs
in our FAQ section such as Sinus
Prevention Program and Sinusitis
Tips
|
| |
Top |
| Q. |
Is
sinusitis a lifelong condition? |
| A. |
Acute
sinusitis is a single infection that clears. Chronic sinusitis is
something that reoccurs. The patient whose chronic sinusitis clears
up doesn't come back to the office. Unfortunately some patients do
require long term and repeat treatment that might have been prevented
if early on they had been taught to blow the nose very gently, use
saline spray without additives, and other methods of prevention. |
| |
Top |
|
|
Dr.
Grossan is one of the USA's leading medical experts on Sinusitis.
Dr Grossan is the creator of the pulsatile nasal irrigator attachment
to Waterpik, an award winning medical device and subject of numerous
research studies over the past 20 years.
For more information on Dr. Grossan see his
bio. Dr
Grossan's web site is at Ent-Consult.com
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