Millions of Americans suffer from sinusitis each year. Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) has transformed the field of Rhinology and how we treat sinus disease in the past few decades. The concept of balloon sinuplasty stemmed from the success of similar balloon devices employed in other specialties such as cardiology, urology, GI, and vascular surgery. The idea of mucosal preservation in balloon sinuplasty is appealing for its potential to minimize scarring and re- of dilated sinus stenosisostium. Whether balloon sinuplasty will be as popular as angioplasty remains to be seen, but there is no question this technology has gained significant momentum within our specialty in the past few years.
Balloon sinuplasty provides a new armamentarium for otolaryngologists to treat sinus disease. Based on a series of multi-center prospective trials known as the CLEAR trial, balloon sinuplasty can be safely performed and effectively treat sinus diseases with minimal complications. According to Dr. Raymond Weiss, “sinuplasty is a new technique in performing endoscopic sinus surgery—not a new procedure but rather a new tool that further reduces mucosal damage and advance us toward our ultimate goal of improving function with maximal mucosal preservation”.
It has been recently reported that balloon sinuplasty can be safely and successfully performed under local anesthesia in the BREATHE-1 trial. While it holds great promise for office-based sinus procedures, further study is needed to better define its role in the surgical management of chronic sinusitis especially with regard to patient selection and disease types best suited for this technology.
Source:
Dr. Kevin Ho UTMB Grand Round presentation, from Dr. Quinn's online textbook of Otolaryngology
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