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Sinus Balloon Procedure

What is a Sinus Balloon Sinuplasty?

Balloon Sinuplasty (BSP) is a procedure for chronic sinusitis patients seeking relief from uncomfortable sinus pain symptoms such as:

  • Sinus related facial pain
  • Facial pressure
  • Sinus headaches
  • Discharge of yellow or green mucus from the nose
  • Congestion
  • Decreased sense of smell

Traditional sinus surgery removes bone and tissue to enlarge the sinus opening to clear the blockage and restore normal sinus drainage.

A Sinus Balloon procedure has the advantages of being less invasive and has improved recovery because there is no cutting of nasal bone or tissue.

What is Sinusitis?

Sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinus lining. The sinus opening can become blocked due swelling and normal mucus drainage may not occur. This can lead to sinus infections and painful symptoms. These symptoms if acute can last for up to four weeks or up to 12 weeks or longer, if chronic.

A cold or allergy attack often occur before Sinusitis because they can lead to inflamed sinuses.

What You Can Expect:

Balloon Sinuplasty is offered in the office under local anesthesia eliminating the need and cost of doing the procedure in an operating room or undergoing general anesthesia.

Balloon Sinuplasty (BSP) uses a balloon catheter which is small and flexible to open up blocked sinus passages so that mucus can drain and prevent builds up. When the sinus balloon is inflated, it restructures and widens the walls of the sinus passageway while maintaining the integrity of the sinus lining.

Step 1. A balloon catheter is inserted into the inflamed sinus.

Sinus-Balloon-Step1

Step 2. The balloon is inflated to expand the sinus opening.
Sinus-Balloon-Step2

Step 3. Saline is sprayed into the inflamed sinus to flush out the pus and mucus.

Sinus-Balloon-Step3

Step 4. The system is removed, leaving the sinuses open.

Sinus-Balloon-Step4

After Your Balloon Sinuplasty

In most patients, the average time for the procedure is 1 to 1-1/2 hours. It is performed in-office under local anesthesia and does not require an overnight stay at a hospital. This minimizes downtime compared to regular sinus which is done at the Camillus Surgical Center and typically requires a 1 week of post op down time.

The cost of this procedure depends on your insurance coverage and you should check with your insurance company about the extent of your coverage.

For those with Medicare, it does cover the Balloon Sinuplasty procedure.