Sinus Pain/Pressure

Fullness, pressure or pain on the face – usually above the eyebrow, behind the eye and/or under the cheekbone.

Causes

  • Viral Infection: Part of the common cold, infecting the lining of the nose and sinuses. Nasal washes with saline are recommended.
  • Bacterial Infection: When the sinus becomes infected with bacteria, the main symptoms are increased sinus pain or return of fever. The skin around the eyelids or cheeks may become red or swollen. Thick nasal secretions that last over 14 days may point to an infection. Antibiotics by mouth are recommended.
  • Allergic Reaction: Sinus congestion often occurs with nasal allergies (such as pollen). Sneezing, itchy nose and clear nasal discharge
    point to allergies.

Nasal Blockage/Obstruction

Partial or complete blockage of the breathing airway in the nasal cavity.

Causes

  • Sinusitis (Acute or Chronic): Spaces inside the nose (sinuses) become inflamed and swollen, which interferes with drainage and causes mucus to build up.
  • Nonallergic Rhinitis: Chronic congestion or sneezing not related to allergies.
  • Nasal Polyps: Noncancerous growths, or benign tumors in the nasal passages.
  • Deviated Septum: Occurs when the thin wall (nasal septum) between your nasal passages is displaced to one side.
  • Overuse of Decongestant Nasal Spray: Decongestant nasal sprays and drops should not be used for more than a week at a time. Longtime use can lead to increased obstruction.
  • Allergies & Environmental Irritants: Occurs when the immune system reacts negatively to a foreign substance — such as pollen, bee venom, pet dander or specific foods. Nosebleeds Bleeding from 1 or both nostrils, not caused by an injury.
  • Spontaneous: Most nosebleeds start up without a known cause.
  • Rubbing/Blowing: Rubbing, blowing or picking at the nose is the most common cause.
  • Sinus Infections: Main symptoms are dry snot and a blocked nose. This leads to extra nose blowing and picking. The sinus infection is more often viral than bacterial.
  • Allergies & Allergy Medicines: Main symptom is an itchy nose, which leads to extra rubbing and blowing. While medicines help nasal symptoms, they also dry out the nose.
  • Ibuprofen & Aspirin: These medicines increase bleeding tendency.
  • Dry Air: Dryness of the nasal lining makes it more likely to bleed.
  • Bleeding Disorder: This rare, but serious, condition means blood platelets or clotting factors are missing, or not working correctly. A bleeding disorder should be suspected if a nosebleed cannot be stopped, or excessive bleeding from the gums or from minor cuts occurs.

Balloon Septoplasty

Under general anesthesia, a physician inserts a guide wire catheter equipped with a tiny balloon through the nostril in order to gain access to the blocked sinus passageway. The balloon is inflated, gently opening and widening the sinus passageway. It is then deflated and withdrawn, leaving an open sinus passageway that restores normal sinus drainage and function.

An endoscopic procedure performed under general anesthesia in an outpatient setting, balloon sinuplasty does not require incisions and cutting or the removal of bone and tissue. There is generally less pain, risk of infection, blood loss, bruising and swelling and many patients are often able to return to their normal activities in less time than they would from traditional “open” sinus surgery.

VivAer®

If you regularly experience difficulty breathing through your nose and nothing seems to help, you may have nasal obstruction. Until now, finding a long-term solution often meant surgery. Now, we may be able to offer you lasting relief without surgery (or incisions) by performing the VivAer® procedure to open your nasal airway.

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RhinAer®

If your nose is always runny, you may be one of the millions of people living with chronic rhinitis. For many patients, these symptoms may be caused by abnormal signals in the nose. The RhinAer® procedure is able to disrupt these signals and provide lasting relief without surgery (or incisions). The RhinAer® procedure is clinically demonstrated to improve symptoms in 96% of patients.1 Patients typically return to normal activity on the same day.

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Neuromark®

The NEUROMARK procedure is changing the game for chronic rhinitis sufferers, offering an effective treatment option. This in-office procedure treats chronic rhinitis at its source by using low-power energy to disrupt the overactive nasal nerves associated with chronic rhinitis.

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ClariFix® Cryotherapy for Chronic Rhinitis

Clarifix
ClariFix® cryotherapy is the first and only FDA cleared device for adults with chronic rhinitis, a condition characterized by frequent runny nose and congestion.

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SINUVA™ Sinus Implant

SINUVA
SINUVA™ is a sinus implant that treats nasal polyps without surgery. During a routine office visit, Dr. Name will use topical and/or local anesthesia to numb the patient’s nose and sinuses. SINUVA™ is then placed in the sinus cavity through the nasal opening.

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PROPEL®

PROPEL is a bioabsorbable stent placed following sinus surgery to keep the sinus open using a spring-like mechanism. The stent delivers steroid medication to the sinus tissue for up to 30 days. Over time, it dissolves on its own, so removal isn’t required, but the doctor can remove it at any time. PROPEL has been proven to reduce inflammation/edema and the need for oral steroids. In clinical studies, patients using PROPEL needed less post-surgery intervention at 30 days compared with patients not using PROPEL.

More About PROPEL®

Septoplasty

Septoplasty is a surgical procedure to correct defects or deformities of the septum, the partition between the two nostrils. Commonly, the procedure is performed to correct a deviated septum. While a small deviation of the septum is commonplace, if the condition is severe, it may impede airflow through the nostrils. This may cause difficulty breathing and poor nasal drainage from the sinuses, both of which are problematic.

In adults, the nasal septum is composed of both cartilage and bone. The function of the nasal septum is to support the mucous membranes of the nose and to regulate air flow. Septoplasty is commonly performed to help relieve nasal obstruction and in some cases it may be a part of other surgical procedures including sinus surgery or nasal tumor or polyp removal. Septoplasty straightens the nasal septum by trimming, repositioning and replacing cartilage or bone within the nose.

Turbinate Coblation

Turbinate coblation, also known as ablation, is an effective treatment used to reduce the size of one or more of the small curved bones in the nose called turbinates. When one of these bones becomes enlarged, it may clog the nasal passages, resulting in several troublesome symptoms, including snoring, nasal congestion, facial pressure, sleep apnea and recurrent or chronic sinusitis.

Turbinate coblation is a painless, effective method of reducing the size of the affected turbinate and unclogging the nasal passages. While there are other ways to perform turbinate reduction, turbinate coblation is minimally invasive and is performed very quickly with almost no resulting downtime for the patient. There are two types of turbinate coblation, each named for the variety of energy used to vaporize the excess bone tissue: laser ablation and radiofrequency ablation.


Sinusitis

Sinusitis is a common medical ailment occurring when the sinus cavities in the upper skull become inflamed and do not drain property. When the sinuses accumulate fluid and mucus due to allergy or upper respiratory illness, their passages become obstructed. Without proper drainage, the impacted material becomes a fertile area for viruses, bacteria, or occasionally fungi to grow and create infection.

There are many reasons for sinusitis to develop. Among them are frequent colds, allergies, nasal polyps and malformations of the area, such as a deviated septum. Smokers and those exposed to secondhand smoke are at greater risk for sinusitis. Sinus infections may be classified as acute, subacute, chronic or recurrent. Acute cases of sinusitis are normally treated with decongestants and antibiotics. If the condition becomes chronic or recurrent, surgery may be necessary.

There are four pairs of sinuses: maxillary, frontal, ethmoid and sphenoid, each named for its location in the skull. No matter which sinus is infected, the symptoms are similar. The symptoms of sinusitis may include headache or facial pressure or pain, nasal congestion, the presence of thick yellow or green mucus, fever, tooth pain and visual disturbance.

For acute or subacute sinusitis, the physician will usually prescribe decongestants, over-the-counter painkillers, saline or corticosteroid nasal spray. Where appropriate the doctor may prescribe antibiotics, antihistamines or antifungal medication. For chronic or recurrent sinusitis, sinus surgery or balloon sinus dilation is often the recommended treatment. Balloon sinus dilation is usually performed in office and is minimally invasive.

Learn about balloon sinuplasty for sinusitis treatment.


Nasal Polyps

Nasal polyps are benign growths that develop within the lining of the nasal passages or sinuses. If large enough, these growths may block the passages and cause breathing difficulties, sinus infections or other complications. Nasal polyps can affect anyone, but they occur more frequently in adults. Medications may shrink or eliminate nasal polyps, but surgery is sometimes needed to remove them.

Nasal polyps are most common in adults, especially those that have asthma or allergies. The exact cause of nasal polyps is not known, however, they often develop in occurrence with respiratory and nasal disease such as sinusitis and allergic rhinitis or with immunodeficiency conditions. Children with cystic fibrosis are also at a higher risk of developing nasal polyps.


Endoscopic Sinus Surgery

Turbinate Reduction

Turbinate reduction is a surgical procedure to reduce the size of one or more of the small curved bones in the nose, known as turbinates, in order to open clogged nasal passages and improve breathing. There are three pairs of turbinates in the nose, classified as inferior, middle and superior. Their function is to warm, filter and humidify air as it circulates through the nose and into the lungs. Since they serve as filters, the turbinates help to protect the body from irritants and stave off infection.

Reasons for Turbinate Reduction

Turbinate reduction is performed when a patient’s turbinate is abnormally large, creating a nasal obstruction. The turbinates may swell in response to ear, nose and throat allergies or upper respiratory infections, resulting in a number of troubling symptoms. These symptoms may include:

  • Chronic nasal congestion
  • Difficulty breathing through the nose
  • Recurrent or chronic sinus infections
  • Chronic nosebleeds
  • Migraine headaches
  • Snoring and sleep apnea

If traditional treatments, such as nasal decongestants, antihistamines, allergy shots and antibiotics do not resolve these problems, surgical intervention is usually recommended.

Turbinate Reduction Procedure

Turbinate reduction is frequently performed in conjunction with corrective surgery for a deviated septum, known as a septectomy. Turbinate reduction may be performed using a few different surgical methods, depending on the patient’s overall medical condition and the nature of the problem.

Radiofrequency Or Laser Ablation

Radiofrequency and laser ablation both make use of an endoscope inserted into the patient’s nose. Depending on which method is used, the probe has either a source of laser light or one of radioenergy attached to it. The laser or radiofrequency energy will be used to shrink the turbinate to a healthier size. This procedure is the least invasive of the three and may be performed in the doctor’s office using local anesthesia. If the turbinate regenerates, this relatively simple procedure may be repeated at a later date.

It may take up to 2 months to heal completely after any of the turbinate reduction procedures.

Recovery from Turbinate Reduction

Since turbinate reduction surgery is performed as an outpatient procedure, recovery is usually relatively short. There is no visible scarring since the surgeon operates through the nose, although there may be some minimal swelling or bruising which will disappear quickly. The patient may experience some facial pain which can be relieved with pain medication. The nose may feel clogged until the swelling goes down. Although the surgeon uses electrocautery to seal off the wound after surgery, nasal packing may be necessary to stem excessive bleeding. This packing, which the patient may find uncomfortable, is removed soon after the surgery.

There may be more than usual nasal secretion for a few weeks, possibly tinged with blood. Patients are advised to use a saline nasal spray to keep the area clear and well-irrigated. Most patients can resume a limited routine after about a week and experience a full recovery after a few weeks.

Follow-up visits with the doctor are necessary to make sure that the nasal cavities are kept clean and that healing is proceeding well. After turbinate reduction, patients are advised to avoid:

  • Heavy lifting or bending
  • Vigorous nose blowing
  • Medications that may promote bleeding
  • Smoke, dust or fumes

Once the swelling goes down and healing is complete the patient’s quality of life should be greatly improved.