• Balloon sinuplasty is a straightforward procedure with minimal complications.
• 91% of patients said they would have the procedure again.
• 85% of patients reported improvement two years after having the procedure.
Balloon sinuplasty is an effective, simple and minimally invasive procedure for people suffering from chronic sinusitis.
Food and Drug Administration-approved in 2005, balloon sinuplasty procedure has been called the “smart surgery” due to its minimally invasive technique and short recovery time.
“Success rates are excellent, and most people do get good resolution of their symptoms to their satisfaction," Dr. Anthony Sanders of Indianapolis Sinus Center said. "The beauty of the balloon sinus procedure is that people tend to not have much disruption of normal nasal function, so they tend to have noses that work normally; they breathe better. They get back to work fast. Their need for medications and antibiotics tend to fall way off, compared to what they were doing before that. Basically, they're able to resume a normal life in most instances.”
According to Healthline, balloon sinuplasty is fairly straightforward and patients reported that complications are minimal.
Studies show that patients who chose in-office balloon sinuplasty, on average, needed only 1.4 days of recovery, compared to 4.2 days for patients with traditional surgical interventions, according to the medical journal Laryngoscope.
The procedure is most often recommended for people with chronic sinusitis, after other treatments for their condition have been ineffective. It is less expensive, because it's performed in the office, when compared to traditional sinus surgery done in a hospital setting, and is typically covered by insurance, according to GoodRx Health.
A study showed that early intervention not only increases patients' quality of life, but also provides lasting relief and reduces out-of-pocket health care costs. An Economics of Chronic Rhinosinusitis study showed that the estimated annual economic burden of sinusitis on patients is between $10 and $13 billion annually.
Patients tolerate in-office balloon procedures well, with people reporting an average pain score of 2.8 out of 10, with 10 being the most painful, according to the American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy. Ninety-one percent of patients said they would have a balloon procedure again, while less than 50% of functional endoscopic sinus surgery patients said they would have the procedure again.
A previous study by Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation concluded 85% of patients still reported improvements with their sinus symptoms after two years.
Symptoms of sinus disease include inflammation of sinus, sinus headache, maxillary sinus pain and thick, discolored discharge, according to Mayo Clinic.
To learn more about the balloon sinuplasty procedure, begin by taking a Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.
