Dr. Andrew Thamboo, MD, FRCSC, MHSc., Rhinology & Endoscopic Skull Base Surgeon Chronic Rhinosinusitis -Treatments and Surgery

Duration: 2 minutes 12 seconds

Endoscopic sinus surgery is a procedure where someone is put under with a general anaesthetic and with multiple different types of instruments, the surgeon will go into the nose and the aim is to open up one or more of the sinus cavities, depending on the extent of disease. Conceptually, think of the sinus cavities like rooms and every room has a doorway. It's the surgeon’s job is to go in and open up those doorways in order to allow the sinuses to drain as well as help optimize the delivery of medical or topical treatments to the sinuses, such as steroids, anti-inflammatory sprays or antibiotics.

Patients that are treated with medical therapy that continue to fail will become a surgical candidate. Patients will also have diagnostic tests done such as endoscopy or CT scans, which will further confirm that they have blockages and infection that lead to chronic symptoms.

Surgeons will typically try and get the medical reasons a person is experiencing chronic rhinosinusitis in control before surgery, such as allergy symptoms, exposure to molds, inflammation and the presence of polyps, by using medical treatments first. surgery can be very useful in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis, although by itself, it is rarely enough to control symptoms long term. Therefore, most people require medications such as nasal steroid sprays or washes to control inflammation after sinus surgery.

Approximately 80% of people who get sinus surgery do very well with a combination of surgery plus topical medical therapy.

If you have been experiencing chronic rhinosinusitis for longer than 12 weeks and would like to explore surgical options, don’t hesitate to speak to your local health care provider or ENG specialists.

Presenter: Dr. Andrew Thamboo, Otolaryngologist, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Otolaryngologist