Treatments for Sinus and Nasal Conditions
Balloon Sinuplasty
Dr. Douglas Hoisington was the first ENT physician to be In-Office Balloon Sinuplasty certified in the Des Moines area. Balloon Sinuplasty is a safe, minimally invasive procedure to provide lasting relief for individuals suffering from chronic sinusitis. Before we resort to this procedure, medications are first used to treat a patient’s symptoms. Before deciding if balloon sinuplasty is for you, the ENT Clinic of Iowa will do a thorough consultation, evaluating your sinus and allergy symptoms.
The Procedure
The balloon sinuplasty procedure involves no cutting and no removal of the bone or tissue. A small, flexible balloon catheter is inserted in the blocked sinus passageway, allowing the built up mucus to drain from the sinus. Contact your local ENT Clinic of Iowa to take charge of your sinusitis and get relief from your sinus symptoms.
Chemical Cautery
Chemical Cautery is a form of cauterization of the tissue with chemicals to destroy mast cells in the sinus cavities that release histamine and other sources of inflammation that cause sinus pain. Although safe and effective, this procedure is typically used only on patients with recurring symptoms that persist despite drug treatments.
The Procedure
In this procedure, a low-concentration phenol solution is sprayed into the patient’s nose, creating shrinkage of the nasal tissues and allowing the air passages to open. Once the passages have opened, proper sinus drainage is able to take place. Proper drainage is important in the treatment and elimination of chronic sinusitis and other sino-nasal problems. Chemical cautery can also reduce nasal secretions, as well as relieve nasal and sinus headaches.
Chemical cautery is a painless treatment that is performed in our office and take approximately 15 minutes. Patients find it more convenient and less painful than traditional surgical treatments. Initially, patients require one treatment per month for three months. Because the success rate of the treatment is 80 percent, maintenance treatments are typically needed twice a year to ensure continued relief.
Turbinoplasty
If you have trouble breathing through your nose, a simple, in office procedure called Endoscopic Turbinoplasty may be able to provide significant relief. Turbinates are bony plates within the sinus cavity which normally enlarge and shrink. In some people, however, the turbinates are so enlarged that it’s hard for them to breathe through their nose. Endoscopic turbinoplasty is a quick, painless procedure that permanently shrinks the turbinates. The short and long term improvements in the ability to breathe through your nose can be dramatic.
Often the main symptom of allergy and sinus problems is nasal obstruction. Patients sometimes take two or even three prescription medications for relief of nasal obstruction. A major benefit of Endoscopic Turbinate Reduction is the strong likelihood of getting off prescription medications, which can be expensive, inconvenient, and only marginally effective for nasal obstruction.
The Procedure
While most otolaryngologists perform turbinate reduction in the operating room under anesthesia, our physicians have developed a minimally invasive endoscopic turbinate reduction technique called “Endoscopic Turbinate Reduction” that is performed under local anesthesia and is painless, involves no packing, and incurs no downtime.
In the absence of a severe septal deviation, most nasal airflow obstruction is caused by turbinate swelling. In this case, regardless of the cause, allergy or not, nasal airflow can be restored permanently and painlessly through office based treatments.
Sinus Surgery
While invasive techniques can be avoided for the majority of sinus patients, some cases do require surgery. For optimal accuracy, all ENT Clinic of Iowa physicians are skilled at image-guided sinus surgery.
The Procedure
Image-guided sinus surgery uses a sophisticated mapping system that combines CT scans and real time data about the exact position of surgical instruments. This allows ENT Clinic of Iowa physicians to precisely navigate complex sinus passages and provide surgical relief more accurately. Because the sinuses are physically close to the brain, the eyes and major arteries, accuracy is of the utmost importance during sinus surgery. Image-guided technology gives ENT Clinic of Iowa physicians a level of precision that’s not possible through traditional sinus surgery.