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If you have chronic sinusitis, your doctor may have recommended balloon sinuplasty if medicine isn’t working. You may not have heard of balloon sinuplasty before, or you may have heard a lot of different information about it. This blog will help separate the myths from the facts about this procedure.
Myth: Nothing else has helped my sinusitis, and balloon sinuplasty won’t be any different.
Fact: Balloon sinuplasty is very effective in providing sinusitis relief. Studies have shown that symptoms improve in 95 percent of patients who get this procedure.
Myth: Balloon sinuplasty can cure all my sinus issues.
Fact: Balloons are wonderful tools allowing office sinus procedures but will not alleviate allergies or recurring viral infections.
Myth: Balloon sinuplasty is painful.
Fact: Your doctor will give you anesthetics before the procedure, and you should not feel any pain.
Myth: Balloon sinuplasty isn’t safe.
Fact: Thousands of balloon sinuplasties have been performed since the FDA approved the procedure in 2005. It has an excellent safety rating, with complications arising in less than 0.1 percent of cases.
Myth: Balloon sinuplasty won’t work if I have a deviated septum.
Fact: Your deviated septum can be treated simultaneously with a balloon sinuplasty.
Myth: Balloon sinuplasty will change the shape of my nose.
Fact: Balloon sinuplasty requires no incisions, and the balloon expands only enough to open the sinus cavity, CEENTA ENT physician Jamie Scaglione, MD, said.
Myth: I’ll need uncomfortable gauze packing after sinuplasty.
Fact: Balloon sinuplasty does not require gauze packing.
Myth: I’ll be out of work for days recovering from sinuplasty.
Fact: Most patients are back to regular activities after just one day of recovery.
Myth: I’ll have black eyes and look terrible after sinuplasty.
Fact: Most patients see no external changes after sinuplasty.
Myth: I’ll need to keep going back to the doctor’s office to get balloon sinuplasty.
Fact: Most people who get sinuplasty see improvements and do not need to return. However, some doctors may decide repeat procedures are needed. This is determined on a case-by-case basis.
Myth: I’m definitely a candidate for sinuplasty.
Fact: Some patients have conditions that prevent them from getting sinuplasty. For many patients, other treatments – allergy treatment and/or traditional surgical procedures in the operating room – may be a better option.
This blog is for informational purposes only. For specific medical questions, please consult your physician. CEENTA has 24 ENT physicians trained in balloon sinuplasty and ready to care for your sinusitis. To make an appointment, call 704-295-3000. You can also schedule an appointment online or through myCEENTAchart.
Blowing your nose too hard might have some unfortunate side effects, including ear infections and nosebleeds.
CEENTA ENT physician Jonathan Moss, MD, appeared on WSOC's The Daily Two on August 23rd, 2024 to discuss sinus infections, diagnostic steps, and your treatment options.
Are your symptoms from the common cold or from chronic sinusitis? Learn more about the difference between the two conditions.
