Surgery For Sinusitis
Sinuses are tiny air spaces in the bones of our face, cheek and skull that are connected to the nose. They are located very close to the brain and the eyes. A long standing infection and allergy can cause complete blockage of sinuses leading to headaches and frequent colds. Sinuses are prone to recurrent infections as people inhale air which contains germs and allergens. When the tissue lining these sinuses gets infected, the condition is known as sinusitis.
Sinusitis affects people of all ages and gender. However, people having an existing allergic tendency and those residing in polluted cities are more prone to it. Sinusitis is more common during seasonal changes and particularly in the monsoons.
For allergies one should be using anti-allergic medications. But, il the problem is structural then surgery is required to correct it. The structural problems may include enlargement of turbinates which gives a feeling of blocked nose. When medical treatment fails to give adequate relief for a long term, functional endoscopic sinus surgery may be required.
When the tissue lining sinuses gets infected, the condition is known as sinusitis. And sinuses are prone to recurrent infections as people inhale air which contains germs and allergens
Sinus Surgery
Minimally invasive procedures are advised to reduce the size of the turbinates, which can be performed as an office procedure and the patient can immediately return back to work. For more complex structural problems, navigation guided endoscopic sinus surgery is advised in which computer based systems are used to clear the disease completely from areas which are in close proximity to critical structures such as the eyes and the brain. This ensures safety as well as complete eradication of the disease.
Computer Navigation Guided Endoscopic Sinus Surgery
Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS) is a minimally invasive procedure performed to open up blocked sinuses causing recurrent headaches, nasal block and frequent cold when medical treatment has failed to give comfort. Using a high definition endoscopic camera system, the blockage points are removed with micro-debriders and balloon sinuplasty devices.
The success of the procedure depends on the complete removal of pathology such as polyps from the crevices inside sinuses lying very close to the eyes and brain. Many a times, disease is left behind as the surgeon is concerned about the safety of the procedure, avoiding injury to the eyes and the brain and the result is an inadequate result requiring a revision surgery.
Image Guided Surgical Navigation
Image guided systems are essentially like GPS (global positioning satellite) systems for the anatomy of the head. These systems are used to aid the surgeon in confirming the location of critical structures when the interior of the nose and sinuses is being operated. The image guidance navigation system on the sinuses is performed using a specific navigation system protocol. The scan is fed in to Medtronic Fusion Navigation System which recreates anatomy in real time during surgery so that, an absolutely safe and complete surgery can be performed. The beauty of this procedure is that almost all patients can go home the same evening, after the procedure.