If you could rid yourself of sinus problems for the rest of your life, would you do it? a new procedure in Kinston, a balloon sinuplasty, could offer such an option.
Sinus problems are not uncommon, and an infection can result in fever, weakness, fatigue, cough and congestion, according to otolaryngologist Dr. Barbara Goheen who performs the procedure at Kinston Head and Neck.
“a whole range of things that can cause sinus problems, but the most common reason is people who have allergies exposed to things they are allergic to,” Goheen said. “Their nasal system swells — including in the opening — and the sinus cannot drain.”
Problems can occur when sinuses cannot drain, Goheen said. when mucus cannot drain out it can degenerate the sinus lining resulting in a bacterial sinus infection.
Balloon sinuplasty has been performed in mainstream medicine since 2005, and Goheen has performed the procedure since 2008. the procedure is a way to eliminate sinus problems by making sinuses less likely to be clogged.
Previous procedures involved taking small tools to cut away pieces of the bone, but the balloon sinuplasty is a much less invasive and much more efficient procedure, Goheen said.
“Over 90 percent of people who have this procedure done experience a reduction in symptoms, and 73 percent of people have their symptoms stop entirely,” Goheen said. “In the operating room, this procedure takes 30 minutes, and the person can go back to work the next day without having much to worry about.”
During the procedure, a telescope is inserted into the nostril, and a special catheter is inserted into the sinuses containing a guiding wire. once the apparatus is in the right place, a tiny balloon is threaded through the guide wire to the opening of the sinus. Expanding the balloon permanently expands the sinus opening.
“What the balloon does is microfracture the bone of the sinus opening,” Goheen said. “with this procedure, you are basically making the opening bigger, and it is a permanent fix because the bone heals with the wider opening left by the balloon.”
In addition to being less invasive, the procedure does not carry the risk of possible complications to surgery, like rare cases of blindness and meningitis.
Although sinus infections are the number one reason people go to doctors, most people who can have this procedure done are not aware of it’s existence, Goheen said.
“there is a big group of people who go to the doctor all the time, get antibiotics all the time; it’s sort of a patch for what is going on,” Goheen said. “this procedure actually goes in and fixes the problem, but most people do not come to have something like this done because they do not know about it.”
Joel Gerber can be reached at 252-559-1076 or jgerber@freedomenc.com.
Breakout Box: For more information, call Kinston Head and Neck at 252-523-0687.