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A group of Southampton ear, nose and throat doctors is offering relief to patients suffering from chronic sinus infections in the form of a new procedure that is less painful and easier to recover from than traditional sinus surgery.
The procedure, called balloon sinuplasty, dilates the sinuses much the same way angioplasty dilates blood vessels. According to doctors with the otolaryngology practice Peconic Ear, Nose and Throat and Facial Plastic Surgery, the new procedure is as effective as traditional sinus surgery, which requires the cutting and removing of tissue, though recovery time is just a few days. Patients who undergo the surgery typically require a week to 10 days to recover.
It is also less likely that there will be surgical complications with the newer procedure, and patients with heart conditions do not need to stop taking blood thinners in order to have sinuplasty, the doctors said.
“There’s a lot of patients out there who have sinus problems and they end up going on antibiotics frequently,” said Dr. Paul Davey of Peconic ENT. “Nowadays, this is a much better option to get them back on their feet and minimize the amount of antibiotics we use.
“It makes a huge difference with the patients,” he continued. “They really feel better really quickly.”
“Basically, it’s the same operation that we’ve been doing, probably, for the last 20 years,” added Dr. Davey’s colleague, Dr. Kevin Braat. “It’s just a less traumatic way to do it.”
No stiff metal instruments are used for cutting through the lining of sinuses and bone, Dr. Braat said. Instead, the balloon, which is inserted through the nostrils, reshapes the soft bone in the sinuses permanently.
Peconic ENT, which has an office in Southampton and plans to open a new office in East Hampton this July, performs the surgery at both Southampton Hospital in Southampton Village and Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead.
The Peconic ENT otolaryngologists—Dr. Braat, Dr. Davey and Dr. Eric Scarbrough—started performing sinuplasties about 18 months ago. They each traveled to Baltimore for a week of training to learn the procedure.
“I was the first one out in Suffolk County to start doing them, and I thought it was a fantastic technique,” Dr. Braat said.
For some patients, traditional sinus surgery is unavoidable, Dr. Davey noted. But in those cases, doctors may perform sinuplasty first, to minimize the severity of traditional surgery, he said.
Balloon sinuplasty can relieve patients of pain, pressure, congestion, bad breath and fatigue while restoring their ability to smell or taste, senses that can be lost due to chronic sinus infections and inflammation. Dilating the opening gives the sinuses more room to swell without actually closing or clogging.
Chronic sinus infections can be caused by allergies, a viral episode, an anatomic blockage or exposure to an irritant, among other possible causes, according to the doctors. ENT doctors only perform surgery on patients after medical therapy options, such as nasal steroids and sinus rinsing, are depleted, Dr. Davey said.
In traditional sinus surgery, doctors must cut and remove tissue and often have to pack the sinuses with gauze or medical sponges to stop the bleeding. Sinuplasty uses a dissolving stent, a wire mesh tube that props open the sinuses after the procedure, the doctors explained.
“Only a small percentage of ENT doctors are doing this now,” Dr. Davey said of sinuplasty. “I think most people are going to start shifting to this because it’s amazing.”
Dr. Davey said that, in his experience, sinuplasties have had excellent results with no recurrences of chronic sinus infections. Patients who have the procedure are also less likely to have complications than those who undergo the traditional surgery.
Sinuplasty was first introduced in 2005, said Matt Kiladitis of Acclarent, the California company that created the procedure. In the short time since its debut, there have been advances in the procedure, he pointed out, such as switching from x-rays to ensure that instruments are in place to using fiber-optic guide wires, which don’t expose patients to radiation.
Dr. Braat said the 12-inch guide wire is like a piece of angel hair pasta with a light at one end. By turning off the lights in the room, doctors can see the illuminated guide wire through a patient’s skin. As a result, there is no risk of any instruments being left behind or breaking off in the nose, Dr. Braat added.
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