What is Balloon Sinuplasty? A Bloodless and Effective Method in Sinusitis Treatment

Sinusitis can seriously affect patients' daily lives due to causing loss of work productivity, reducing quality of life, and necessitating long-term medication use. Balloon sinuplasty, which has come to the forefront in recent years, stands out as a safe and effective option in sinusitis treatment thanks to its ability to be applied without cutting any tissue.

ENT, Head and Neck Surgery Specialist Prof. Dr. Yavuz Selim PATA states that balloon sinuplasty significantly reduces the risk of complications and offers important advantages, especially in patients with bleeding disorders.

Why is Sinusitis Becoming Increasingly Common?

Crowded living conditions and artificial living spaces lead to both an increase in allergies and more frequent upper respiratory tract infections. This situation increases the risk of sinusitis becoming chronic.

Prof. Dr. Yavuz Selim PATA, ENT and Head and Neck Surgery Specialist at Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital, emphasizes that sinusitis is a disease that must definitely be treated with the following words:

"A feeling of fullness in the face, headache, fatigue, inability to breathe, and sleep disorders seriously reduce the quality of life. Additionally, loss of work productivity and constant medication use lead to economic losses."
If left untreated, sinusitis can lead to serious complications such as middle ear infection, vision loss, and even rarely, meningitis and brain abscess.

What is Balloon Sinuplasty? How is it Applied?

Dokulara Zarar Vermeden Sinüs Kanallarını Açan Yöntem

The Method That Opens Sinus Passages Without Damaging Tissues

Balloon sinuplasty is based on widening the openings of the sinus passages with the help of a small balloon. In this method:

• No scalpel or cutting instruments are used
• No tissue is cut
• Surrounding structures are not damaged
• The risk of bleeding is minimal

Prof. Dr. PATA notes that balloon sinuplasty has treatment success equivalent to classical surgical methods, but the recovery process is much more comfortable because it preserves tissue integrity.

Who is Balloon Sinuplasty Suitable For?

Correct Patient Selection Increases Treatment Success

Balloon sinuplasty is usually applied under general anesthesia. After the patient is put to sleep, the sinus passage is located, the balloon is placed and inflated to widen

the narrowed passage. Thus, ventilation of the sinuses is ensured and chronic sinusitis complaints subside within weeks.
However, not every patient is suitable for this method. Prof. Dr. PATA says the following on this subject:
• In chronic sinusitis patients with nasal polyps, balloon sinuplasty alone may not be sufficient
• In these patients, combining it with endoscopic sinus surgery yields more successful results
• It can be safely applied in many chronic sinusitis patients without polyps

Important Advantage for Patients with Bleeding Risk

One of the most important advantages of balloon sinuplasty is that it is a bloodless method. Thanks to this feature, it offers a much safer option compared to classical surgical methods for:

• Patients with bleeding disorders
• Individuals who have to use blood thinners

Return to Daily Life After Balloon Sinuplasty

This method, which is quite advantageous in terms of patient comfort, allows for:
• Patients to be discharged on the same day
• Most patients can return to their daily activities within 3-5 hours
• No intranasal trauma or long recovery period is experienced.

Do Not Take Months-Long Nasal Congestion Lightly

Persistent nasal congestion can be a sign of different diseases such as:

• Deviated nasal septum
• Allergy
• Sinusitis
• Nasal polyp
• Rarely, tumor.

Therefore, complaints of "persistent cold" should definitely be evaluated by an ENT specialist.

High Success Rate in Modern Sinusitis Treatments

Prof. Dr. Yavuz Selim PATA, who says modern treatment methods are quite effective, stated: "In the past, it was known and accepted that sinusitis was not, and could not be, treated with surgery and would recur. Today, however, like many diseases, chronic sinusitis can be successfully treated using modern diagnosis and treatment methods. If sinusitis surgeries are performed by a good surgeon using correct methods, the success rate is quite high. With correct diagnosis and the correct method, sinusitis can be treated in a way that it does not recur."