What Are Sinuses?
The sinuses are air-filled areas in the skull that lead to your nasal cavity between your nose and throat. Sinuses are lined with mucus and trap inhaled dust, debris, and microorganisms. There are 4 paired sinuses: maxillary, frontal, ethmoid, and sphenoid.
Sinusitis is inflammation of the sinuses, which can be caused by many different things including: viruses, fungi, bacteria and allergies. This inflammation blocks the normal flow of mucus, which promotes the further growth of bacteria in the sinuses.
How Can I Tell if I Have a Sinus Infection?
Sinus infection symptoms may include:
- Difficulty breathing through the nose
- Yellow or green nasal discharge
- Facial pain, pressure, congestion, or fullness
- Loss of the sense of smell or taste
- Sinus pressure
- Fatigue
- Sore throat
- Toothache
- Bad breath
- Fever
Sinusitis can be divided into two categories: acute sinusitis and chronic sinusitis.
Acute Sinusitis
Acute sinusitis is diagnosed when symptoms of an upper respiratory infection (common cold) such as yellow/green nasal discharge, nasal congestion, and sinus pressure suddenly worsen after 5 days, or if symptoms persist for 10 days or longer.
Chronic Sinusitis
Chronic sinusitis is diagnosed when patients have: nasal discharge, nasal congestion or obstruction, sinus pressure, loss of smell for > 3 months and there is evidence of sinus disease on nasal endoscopy which is performed by an otolaryngologist in the office or on CT scan of the sinuses. Headache or sinus pressure alone does not usually indicate sinusitis.
If an upper respiratory infection is complicated by bacterial sinusitis, antibiotics are the recommended treatment. If a patient requires antibiotics for acute sinusitis 4 x per year or more, they are a candidate for endoscopic sinus surgery.
Sinus Infection Treatment
We provide comprehensive care to patients with sinus disease at Lufkin ENT & Allergy.
Treatments to reduce inflammation in the sinuses typically include: nasal steroid spray, nasal saline irrigations, allergy testing and treatment (medications, allergy shots, or allergy drops). After sinus surgery, some patients may require placement of steroid eluding stents in the sinus cavities, and/or Dupixent which is a medicine that can be taken at home every 2 weeks to treat nasal polyps.
We have the ability to perform sinus cultures in the office at Lufkin ENT & Allergy to ensure we prescribe the correct antibiotic for bacterial infections in the sinuses.
Sinus infection treatment depends on the exact patient and the specific type of infection they have though.
For instance, we recommend antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection that is complicated by bacterial sinusitis. Some patients have recurring sinus infections due to conditions like a deviated septum, nasal polyps, or narrow sinus cavity openings. Patients requiring antibiotics for acute sinusitis more than 3 times per year are candidates for endoscopic sinus surgery.
If symptoms do not improve with medical treatment, we can perform endoscopic sinus surgery or balloon sinuplasty.
Endoscopic Sinus Surgery
The purpose of endoscopic sinus surgery is to widen the openings of the sinuses so the sinuses drain on their own. It also allows for patients to use saline rinses to clean out the sinuses. This surgery improves the quality of life of 75% of patients.
Endoscopic sinus surgery is performed in an operating room under general anesthesia. The surgeon does not make any incensions or cuts to the patient’s face while performing sinus surgery. Instead, the surgeon uses specialized instruments and cameras to go through the nostrils in order to operate on the sinuses.
We also use CT guided instrument tracking, which is standard of care during most sinus operations. Your surgeon will register the instruments to your specific CT scan and use this in surgery in order to ensure a complete and safe operation.
Balloon Sinuplasty
Balloon sinuplasty involves insertion of a surgical balloon into the natural sinus openings. The balloon is then inflated in order to widen the natural opening to allow the sinus to drain better. The balloon is removed right after inflation.
This procedure can be performed in the office or the operating room. A balloon sinuplasty is faster to perform than endoscopic sinus surgery, it does not require the patient to go under general anesthesia, recovery time is faster, and there are normally fewer complications for the patient afterwards.
Treat Your Sinus Infection Lufkin, TX
If you suffer from sinus disease you should discuss your sinus infection treatment options with one of the ear, nose, and throat surgeons at Lufkin ENT & Allergy. Call (936) 699-3141 to book an appointment now.