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Health care information for sinusitis sufferers |
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Health care information for sinusitis sufferers |
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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 Open Frontal Sinus Surgery Occasionally, disease within the frontal sinus may not respond to endoscopic surgery and medical management. In this case, the surgeon may have to opt for an external open approach to the forehead. Typically, the object is to remove the lining and diseased tissue from the inside of the frontal sinus (frontal sinus obliteration), then seal the sinus off from the nose completely. With the patient under general anesthesia, the surgeon makes an incision behind the hairline or under the eyebrows. Through it, the sinus is opened and all inflammation is removed with a drill. The next step is to pack the sinus with fat taken from the abdomen, and finally, to close the sinus and incision. For obvious reasons, this type of surgery involves more discomfort and swelling than endoscopic approaches; it does, however, have a high success rate. Risks are generally similar to endoscopic sinus surgery, although the chance of double vision (diplopia) is higher and an external scar may be visible if it cannot be hidden behind the hairline. Forehead numbness may also persist. The biggest disadvantage of this type of surgery is that it is difficult afterwards to image the sinus with CT scans or MRI scans. Therefore, if symptoms persist after surgery, it may be very difficult to identify the cause. However, for the majority of patients, open frontal sinus surgery resolves their problem within the frontal sinus once and for all.
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