Balloon sinupasty is an advanced, minimally invasive procedure used to open sinus passages in order to relieve the pain and pressure associated with chronic sinusitis. In balloon sinuplasty, inflamed sinuses are opened in the same way that doctors open up blocked arteries during balloon angioplasty.

Balloon sinuplasty is most often recommended for people who have tried all other forms of treatment without success. Its safety and effectiveness are well-documented.

• A 2016 study published in the American Journal of Rhinology and Allergy concluded that patients who elected balloon sinuplasty over ongoing medical management (antibiotics) showed significantly greater improvements in quality of life. In most cases the results were achieved through office-based procedures with the patient under local anesthesia.¹
• The Indian Journal of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery identified numerous large scientific studies showing balloon sinuplasty to be a very effective tool in the management of sinus disease.²

Balloon sinuplasty may be conducted in your Palomar Health Medical Group – Graybill’s Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) Specialist’s office under local anesthesia. The advantages of the balloon sinuplasty procedures are:

• Relief of symptoms without the use of general anesthesia
• Faster recovery period (often within two days after the procedure)
• May be conducted in the doctor’s office
• Lower cost (outpatient procedure)

If you suffer from chronic sinusitis and have tried other alternatives without success, ask your Primary Care Physician about a referral to a Palomar Health Medical Group – Graybill Ear Nose and Throat Specialist experienced in performing balloon sinuplasty.

Sources:

1. PayneSC, MD; StolovitzkyP, MD; MehendaleN, MD; MathenyK, MD, BrownW, MD, et. al. Medical therapy versus sinus surgery by using balloon sinus dilation technology: a prospective multicenter study. Am J Rhinol Allergy. 30:279–286, 2016

RaghunandhanS, BansalT, NatarajanK, KameswaranM. Efficacy & outcomes of balloon sinuplasty in chronic rhinosinusitis: a prospective study. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2013 Aug; 65(Suppl 2): 314-319.

Cold sores and canker sores are very common types of lesions in and around the mouth. Both can make it very painful to talk or eat. While the two lesions are often confused with one another, they, in fact, have very different causes and treatments.

Canker sores

Canker sores are small white or yellow ulcers on the tongue or inside the lips and cheeks. They typically last between five and ten days.

Most canker sore sufferers are children or young adults between the ages of 10 and 20. While the precise causes aren’t known, they are believed to result from a combination of factors, including mouth injuries, acidic or spicy foods, vitamin deficiencies, hormones, or stress. Canker sores are not contagious since they are neither bacterial nor viral.

Topical, over-the-counter corticosteroid creams can relieve pain and irritation.

Cold sores

Unlike canker sores, cold sores are caused by a highly contagious virus called herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1). Also known as fever blisters, cold sores are small blisters that typically appear outside and around the mouth. They are filled with clear fluid and surrounded by skin that is red, swollen and sore. The blisters can rupture then scab over before healing within 1 to 2 weeks.

HSV-1 usually enters the body through a break in the skin in or around the mouth. A person can spread the virus by touching the sore or coming in contact with the fluid, often through kissing or sharing eating utensils. Once infected, HSV stays in a person’s body for life. Some people who are infected will never develop cold sores. For those who do, relief can be found through skin creams, ointments or antiviral prescription drugs.

If sores persist, ask your Primary Care Physician about a referral to a Graybill Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) Specialist. An ENT physician will do a thorough examination to be sure that oral cancer isn’t present in the mouth.

Image guidance surgery is an advanced, minimally invasive procedure used to treat severe chronic sinusitis. Used in conjunction with preoperative computed tomography (CT) scanning, image guidance surgery provides the surgeon with three-dimensional, high-resolution, real-time images. This visual clarity allows the surgeon to perform with greater precision.

Image guidance surgery is beneficial for:

• Patients whose diseased tissue may be close to other vital structures, such as the optic nerve or skull base
• Higher risk patients who have undergone previous surgery that disfigured anatomical landmarks.

The benefits of image guidance surgery include:

• Increased safety through high quality, real-time imagery
• Increased effectiveness by allowing surgeons to remove more diseased tissue
• Greater accuracy in guiding surgical instruments around vital structures
• Shorter recovery time than with traditional open surgery.*

*Image guidance surgery is performed on an outpatient basis at the Rancho Bernardo Surgery Center in Rancho Bernardo, California.

If you suffer from chronic sinusitis, ask your Primary Care Physician about a referral to a Palomar Health Medical Group – Graybill Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) Specialist experienced in performing image guidance surgery.