Sleep Apnea, Sinusitis & Balloon Sinuplasty

Sleep Apnea & Sinusitis

Sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening condition and leaves people more susceptible to other health problems. One of the most common sleep apnea associated health problems is Sinusitis. Sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinus lining, which in turn causes blocked sinus passageways. Sinusitis symptoms include:

• Facial pain
• Tenderness and swelling around the eyes, cheeks, nose and forehead
• Sinus pressure or congestion
• Difficulty breathing through the nose

In our experience, 20-30% of sinuplasty patients have sleep apnea.

Sinusitis Treatment

With the Balloon Sinuplasty sinusitis treatment, an ENT physician uses a small, flexible, balloon catheter to open up blocked sinus passageways and facilitate drainage of the built up mucus. When the sinus balloon is inflated, it restructures and widens the walls of the sinus passageway while maintaining the integrity of the sinus lining. Unlike traditional sinus surgery, Balloon Sinuplasty requires no cutting and no removal of bone and tissue. Balloon Sinuplasty allows patients to return to normal activities quickly. Unlike conventional sinus surgery, it does not include removal of bone or tissue from the nose.

Improving the Balloon Sinuplasty Procedure

While the risks involved with balloon sinuplasty are low, Dr. Dillard and the physicians at the Sleep and Sinus Centers of Georgia saw an opportunity to decrease the chances of post surgery complications through developing better tools. Specifically, the team found that when performing the sinuplasty procedure, a patient’s septum would be so crooked sometimes that they couldn’t perform the procedure without correcting it with nasal valve surgery. The SASCG’s new specially designed balloon, is tough enough to simultaneously straighten out a patient’s septum while allowing our physicians to complete the original procedure! So far, results seem permanent.

Just another example of how we are continually innovating to better take care of you!

If you think you could benefit from correcting a sinusitis or any other ear nose and throat condition, feel free to contact us to find out!

Written by Dr. Dillard