Grand Canyon Times

• Almost 29 million people in the U.S. suffer from chronic sinusitis.

• Balloon sinuplasty is less invasive, carries a lower risk and has a shorter recovery period than traditional sinus surgery.

• Average recovery time for a balloon sinuplasty patient is one to two days.

Dr. Brian Lee | Scottsdale Sinus and Allergy Center

Chronic sinusitis affects 28.9 million American adults, or 11% of the adult population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Chronic sinusitis is responsible for 4.1 million doctor visits and more than 230,000 emergency room visits each year.

Chronic sinusitis is one of the most common chronic medical conditions among Americans, and it can have a negative affect on a person's quality of life, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). The NCBI conducted a study comparing patients who underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) with patients who opted for a balloon sinuplasty to treat chronic sinusitis and found that, although both procedures are effective, balloon sinuplasty patients needed fewer antibiotic treatments after their procedures.

FESS involves removing sinus tissue, while a balloon sinuplasty is "less traumatic" because it doesn't involve removing any tissue and instead relies on dilation to improve sinus function.

"One of the one of the biggest advances in our field has been the advent of something called balloon sinuplasty," Dr. Brian Lee of Scottsdale Sinus and Allergy Center told Grand Canyon Times. "It's a tool that we can use to help to permanently open up the sinuses, and that allows the sinuses to drain and allows us to get up in there and see if there is a chronic infection or mucus. This finally allows us to permanently enlarge the drainage pathways to allow patients to function better in the future. The best part about it is that we're able to do these procedures in the office under local anesthesia. There's minimal downtime, so patients are really able to get a large amount of relief relatively quickly with minimal downtime."

A balloon sinuplasty procedure lasts 10 to 15 minutes, and patients typically recover within one to two days. Most patients can resume their normal activities in that time period, although they may experience some swelling for up to a week, according to Dr. Michael Eisemann of Eisemann Plastic Surgery Center in Houston. FESS procedures take one and a half to two hours, and patients might need up to four weeks to fully recover, during which time they should avoid strenuous activities such as exercising.

If you're interested in learning more about diagnosis or treatment of chronic sinusitis, please take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.