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Health care information for sinusitis sufferers |
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Health care information for sinusitis sufferers |
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| Home What is Sinusitis? Sinusitis Quiz Symptoms Causes Treatment Options Find A Doctor Patient Stories Sinus Anatomy FAQ Glossary Editorial Contributors Tell Us Your Story ObstructedNose.com |
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Treatment OptionsSurgical Treatment OptionsAdenoidectomy | Endoscopic Sinus Surgery | Ethmoidectomy |Extended Endscopic Frontal Sinus Surgery | Frontal Sinusotomy | FESS (Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery) | Maxillary Sinusotomy | Open Frontal Sinus Surgery | Polypectomy | Reduction Removal of Inferior Turbinate | Reduction Removal of Middle Turbinate | Septoplasty | Sphenoidotomy | Tumor Removal Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS) Today, FESS is the most common corrective surgery for chronic sinus inflammation. Performed under the magnification of a small telescopic endoscope, FESS is precise enough to remove diseased tissue and bone, open the sinuses and help to restore the nose and sinus to health. FESS is much less invasive than older conventional surgical methods. But because the extent of sinus disease varies from person to person, surgery may be a relatively minimal procedure or an extensive and prolonged operation. With FESS there is very little postoperative discomfort – and an excellent chance of improvement in symptoms. Keep in mind, however, that ongoing medical therapy may be required to control underlying causes of inflammation - the sensitivities that made surgery necessary in the first place. After surgery, severe chronic inflammation may take months or even years to disappear completely. With FESS, serious complications are very rare, but because of the proximity of sinus structures to the eyes and the brain, is is not risk-free. FESS procedures are a highly effective treatment strategy for complicated acute sinusitis and chronic sinusitis. Endoscopic surgical techniques that are similar to FESS are also used to treat benign (non-cancerous) tumors and occasionally even selected malignant (cancerous) ones. The primary advantage is that endoscopic procedures are much less invasive compared with the open surgical operations that were once standard. With FESS, risk is lower, discomfort is minimal and recovery times are shorter. Endoscopic sinus surgery is also the best way to close a rare defect in the passage between the nose and intracranial (brain) cavity that can lead to spinal fluid leaks (cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea). Today, endoscopic approaches can also be used to remove pituitary tumors and to treat eye protrusion (Graves disease), a complication of some types of thyroid disease. In sinus surgery, as in other areas, endoscopic techniques facilitate a minimally invasive approach and reduce postoperative discomfort and recovery time. Email This Article To A FriendPrinter-friendly Version Find an ENT Professional Near You
THIS SITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, CALL YOUR DOCTOR OR 911 IMMEDIATELY. All articles and graphics copyright ©2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 Medtronic, Inc. All rights reserved. Version 2.0 This web page was first published on April 30, 2002, and was last updated on June 14, 2006. |
