For Sinusitis: the Balloon Sinuplasty

The nose can cause some serious medical woe.

Sinusitis, one of America’s largest health problems, is endured by some 37 million people each year. That’s about 16 percent of the adult U.S. population.

But, interestingly, the sinuses themselves are rarely diseased. The culprit is more likely to be inside the nose where the sinuses become infected because they don’t drain properly.

The blocking is often due to structures inside the nose being bent or twisted due to accidents or simply the way a patient was born.

You’ve probably heard of a deviated septum. The septum is a thin wall separating the two nasal passages. If it is bent, crooked or twisted, airflow to the sinuses can be blocked. (Correcting only the septum will not make the nose look better.)

Other nasal structures inside the nose can react and swell because they are sensitive to allergies or other environmental insults like cigarette smoke or mold.

For years, one of the most common treatments has been relieving the blockage between the sinuses and the nasal passages by removing from inside the nose some very small pieces of bone or tissues.

Now, a new treatment has been approved by the FDA.

Known as Balloon Sinuplasty, the technique uses a small catheter which the nasal surgeon or otolargyngologist (a specialist in surgery of the head and neck) inserts into the nasal passage at the point of the blockage. Then he or she gently inflates a tiny balloon device which pushes the blockage away to restore normal draining.

But if you’re looking for a more attractive nose, balloon Sinuplasty alone won’t change its appearance.

(Read more about rhinoplasty and see some before and after nose surgery pictures.)

A 2006 Australian study printed in a profession journal for surgeons described the procedure used on 10 patients. The researchers found the technology appears to be safe and effective.

However, scientists (plastic surgeons are also considered scientists) want to see the results of a new procedure performed on hundreds  or thousands of patients before fully backing it.

So for some plastic surgeons, the jury might still be out.