Sinus Disorders

More than 30 million people develop chronic sinusitis each year, making it one of the most common health complaints in the United States. Alvarado Hospital Medical Center is dedicated to providing the highest quality care to patients with a wide range of complex sinus disorders. Our world-renowned physicians provide comprehensive strategies that incorporate both scientifically advanced medical treatments and highly sophisticated sinus and nasal surgical procedures. It is not unusual for patients with chronic sinusitis to develop asthma, a persistent cough or wheezing.

The goal of our Alvarado Hospital physicians and staff is to provide exceptional, compassionate, multidisciplinary care for patients with difficult-to-treat sinusitis or disorders of the nasal cavities. Our team approach, together with state-of-the-art diagnostic and superior treatment tools, helps to enhance the overall outcome and quality of life of our patients.

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Conditions affecting sinuses include:

Allergies (including rhinitis or hay fever) – is an inflammation of the mucous membranes inside the nose that results in chronic discharge and post-nasal drip
Sinusitis – is an inflammation of one or more of the air-filled cavities located behind the nose and eyes and in the cheeks and forehead
Deviated nasal septum – is a structural abnormality that affects the wall separating the nostrils
Loss of the sense of smell – is a condition that may be caused by nasal polyps, nasal septal deformities or nasal tumors
Nasal polyps – are growths in the lining of the nose
Taste disorders – are caused by nasal and sinus disease

Diagnosis and Treatment

Accurate diagnosis is critical to successful treatment. Alvarado Hospital offers the latest in diagnostic equipment and services to help our physicians identify the source of a problem and thereby determine the optimal treatment for each individual patient. If allergies are involved, tests are conducted to identify the cause of the allergy and temporary or ongoing medical treatment is often recommended. Alternately, if nose and sinus problems are caused by bacterial infections, they are normally treated with antibiotics and, in some cases, steroids.

If the issue stems from structural problems such as polyps, drainage ports in the sinuses that are too small, or abnormalities in the wall separating the nostrils, surgical intervention may be necessary. If a tumor is malignant, our otolaryngologists work in conjunction with a team of oncologists and other key specialists.

Minimally Invasive Procedures

Minimally invasive tools and ground-breaking techniques have revolutionized the surgical treatment of nasal and sinus disorders. The more training and experience your physician has in new minimally invasive procedures, the better. Our surgeons are highly skilled and experienced in these less invasive procedures and often train other medical colleagues.

As progress evolves, the full advantages of many new minimally invasive procedures are yet to be proven. However by minimizing the damage to bones, muscles and tissues, they have demonstrated to reduce post-operative pain, shorten recovery times and, in some cases, even improve outcomes.

Furthermore, these procedures are frequently done on an outpatient basis allowing the patient to return home the same day. Some examples are as follows:

Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) – One of the innovative tools often used during minimally invasive procedures is the endoscope (a narrow, lighted tube). With the use of an endoscope, many large growths blocking the sinuses can be removed through the nose, rather than through incisions in the face
Image-guided endoscopic techniques – In select cases, otolaryngologists may use image-guided endoscopic techniques. By combining the power of computerized tomography with the endoscope, surgeons are able to perform three-dimensional reconstructions of the surgical site
Balloon sinuplasty – This is just one example of a cutting-edge, minimally invasive procedure for chronic sinusitis. Recently FDA approved, this procedure uses a small, flexible, balloon catheter to open up blocked sinus passageways, restoring normal sinus drainage.

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