Balloon Sinuplasty vs. Sinus Surgery

Question

Hi. Looking for a little help here. My sister has been battling chronic sinusitis, and finally went in for a ct scan. As a result she was given 2 choices: FESS or balloon sinuplasty.

I am helping her evaluate her options, and we are encouraged by what we’ve found about the balloon (news reports, video, and claims that it's less invasive and with easier recovery.)

So I guess what we are hoping is to hear from other people. Maybe you know someone who has had the balloon thing? Heard good/bad about it?

Thanks in advance. And I hope everyone is having a good day.

chesterIA · Answer

I'm sure you have already compleleted your procedure, but you have to consider that both methods are temporary, balloon usually showing good results for 1-2 years and FESS last 5+ years depends on the person.  The best thing would be to initially do the balloon and get a CT to figure out the causes of your symptoms.  Do you have allergies?  Deviated septum?  Polyps?   If you figure out the problem and take care of that, you will highly decrease you need for future procedures.

mfdoll · Answer

hi there, have you had the ESS surgery yet and if so what have been the results....i am thinking of asking about the balloon sinuplasty as I too have suffered too much and I am at the end of the road with fatigue. thanks

emzerelda · Answer

I've had TWO balloon sinuplasty's back to back this summer (August and September) and just scheduled a regular Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (ESS) today because the sinuplasty did not work at all.  I should have done the traditional surgery in the first place.  Be careful when thinking about this option.  While it's true that many have great results, it's not for everyone.  I have been plagued with chronic sinus infections since 2007 and I thought balloon sinuplasty was answer. Even though the ESS is  more invasive, I still think it's worth it in the end.

emzerelda · Answer

I've had TWO balloon sinuplasty's back to back this summer (August and September) and just scheduled a regular Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (ESS) today because the sinuplasty did not work at all.  I should have done the traditional surgery in the first place.  Be careful when thinking about this option.  While it's true that many have great results, it's not for everyone.  I have been plagued with chronic sinus infections since 2007 and I thought balloon sinuplasty was answer. Even though the ESS is  more invasive, I still think it's worth it in the end.

JR953 · Answer

I had heard the same thing as the doc. Basically that balloon sinuplasty is only for cases where all you need to do is open things up a bit more.
I hope your sister has found the right path.
Cheers,

SuperCorn · Answer

Thanks doc. We hadn't seen balloon sinuplasty talked about in that way before. Really helps. One of the things we found encouraging were not so much the videos on YouTube but some of the news coverage and interviews. Plenty of that stuff out there.
All food for thought for sure. I appreciate the time to respond.

ENTMD · Answer

Balloon sinuplasty is simply another tool that the surgeon can use to achieve the surgical goal.  Whether or not this technique is chosen has a lot more to do with the type and extent of sinus disease.  All else being equal, the balloon results in less tissue damage, shorter operative times and more patient satisfaction (according to the studies that -- and this is important to consider -- have been largely funded by the makers of the balloon sinuplasty tools).  Long term data shows that complication rates are low and effects are lasting.  If all of the surgeon intends to do is to open up the sinus drainage pathways, then the balloon is a good choice.  The balloon, however, cannot remove polyps or remove diseased/obstructing tissues.

roannedegrazia · Answer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvNSdyEwljk

that's the link to the balloon sinuplasty video.  you've probably seen some version.  we had traditional surgery in our family and it worked well. so far the reports on balloon treatment have been positive but don't know how long term the reports are at this point.  

good luck