Rhinoplasty For Sinusitis
In life, it often appears that you must choose between form and function. If you want a sports car that looks good, you have to give up on getting good gas mileage. If you choose the fuel-efficient hybrid, you will give up something in terms of the car’s looks and “cool factor.”
When it comes to rhinoplasty and sinus surgery, the same cannot be said. If you have sinus problems or difficulty breathing and are unhappy with the appearance of your nose, you don’t have to choose one over the other. It is possible to improve the function and appearance of your nose, which is often accomplished by combining rhinoplasty with sinus surgery.
Sinus surgery in conjunction with rhinoplasty would have been unthinkable until recently. This is due to the fact that in the past, sinus surgery was complicated, required significant downtime, and was associated with a higher risk of complications. Fortunately, today’s modern techniques make complications less common, and sinus surgery can now be performed alone or in conjunction with other nasal procedures, such as rhinoplasty.
Diagnosing Sinus Problems
Not everyone with sinus problems requires surgery. Even with modern techniques, it is a serious surgery that should only be performed when absolutely necessary. However, for those with serious sinus problems, sinus surgery can be a godsend.
The only way to know for sure if you require sinus surgery is to have a thorough evaluation by an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist. Sinusitis can be caused by a variety of factors, including allergies, polyps, and septal deviation. Your ENT can tell you which of these applies to your situation. Your exam will include a thorough examination of your ears, nose, and throat, as well as allergy tests. Indicators of blocked sinuses or sinusitis include the following:
. Runny nose
. Stuffiness
. Breathing problems
. Headaches
. Excessive drainage from the nose or throat (post-nasal drip)
. Bad breath
. Fever
. Cough with mucus
. Tooth pain
. Poor sense of smell or taste
. Snoring
. Bad sleep
The doctor will also ask you questions about your medical history, and medications you’re taking, whether or not you smoke and other factors. Before deciding to recommend surgery, your ENT will likely try other treatments first. These may include decongestants, over-the-counter pain relievers, nasal corticosteroids to treat inflammation as well as nasal sprays and possibly nasal irrigation.
When Should Sinus Surgery Be Considered?
In many cases, the non-surgical options mentioned above are sufficient to treat sinus problems. Sinus problems caused by a bacterial infection, on the other hand, will not go away quickly, and the infection may spread. When this happens, it’s time to think about sinus surgery. Several other factors may also persuade your surgeon that sinus surgery is the best option, such as if other treatments have proven ineffective, if some material remains inside your sinuses for more than a month and a half, or if a CT scan shows persistent disease. Other signs that surgery may be necessary include the following:
. Nasal or sinus polyps
. Sinus infection that has spread to bone
. Sinus disease stemming from a fungal infection
. Structural irregularities in the nose or sinuses
. Sinus cancer
. Chronic sinusitis accompanied by HIV
Is Rhinoplasty and Sinus Surgery Right for You?
Before deciding on rhinoplasty and sinus surgery, you should first determine if you have a chronic sinus problem. Chronic sinusitis affects approximately one in every eight people, making it a fairly common and unpleasant problem.
How do you tell if you have a chronic sinus infection as opposed to a common cold or an acute infection? The duration of the problem is one indicator. If you have a stuffy nose, facial pressure, and thick, colored mucus for 12 weeks or longer, you most likely have a chronic sinus infection. Chronic sinusitis usually does not respond to antibiotics or other non-surgical treatments. The discomfort and symptoms are usually due to inflammation, rather than a bacterial or viral infection.
If you do suffer from chronic sinusitis but are otherwise happy with the way your nose looks, combining sinus surgery and rhinoplasty usually isn’t necessary. But if you often wish that your nose was a bit smaller or wider or if you wish that you didn’t have a hump or divot on the nose, and you want relief from your sinus problems, it makes sense to have the two procedures performed together.
What Happens During Rhinoplasty and Sinus Surgery?
If you and your surgeon agree that combining sinus surgery and rhinoplasty makes the most sense for you, you might wonder what happens during the procedures. Combined rhinoplasty and sinus surgery takes longer than rhinoplasty on its own or sinus surgery on its own, but less time than if you were to have the two surgeries separately.
Usually, the combined procedure starts with sinus surgery, followed by rhinoplasty. There are two common ways of performing sinus surgery. Both are minimally invasive and involve the use of a small camera, or endoscope, to guide the surgeon. Thanks to the camera, the surgeon can work inside of the sinus cavity without making large incisions. Endoscopic sinus surgery involves threading the small camera up into the nose, then using special tools to cut away and remove the tissue that might be blocking the sinuses. Depending on the specific cause of your sinus problems, the surgeon might excise large nasal polyps, scar tissue or tissue that is simply blocking the sinus cavity.
Balloon sinuplasty is an even less invasive form of sinus surgery. Along with the endoscope, the surgeon inserts a small catheter into the nasal cavity, up to the blocked sinus cavity. The catheter contains a balloon, which is slowly inflated. As the balloon inflates, it creates an opening in the sinus cavity, allowing a person to breathe more easily and helping the cavity drain. After the procedure, the cavity remains unblocked.
After the sinus procedure is performed, the surgeon can begin the rhinoplasty portion of the surgery.
Rhinoplasty And Septoplasty
Sometimes, a person’s breathing and nasal problems aren’t due to sinus issues, but to a problem with the septum, the tissue that divides the nasal passages. Many people have a septum that is slightly deviated, or that leans to one side or the other. For many, the deviation isn’t a big deal. But, if the septum leans over a considerable amount, it can make breathing difficult. Septoplasty is the surgery that corrects a deviated septum.
Usually, septoplasty doesn’t change the appearance of the nose, as all the improvements are on the inside. But, a patient with a deviated septum who also isn’t happy with the look of his or her nose can consider a septorhinoplasty, which offers the functional benefits of septoplasty with the aesthetic improvements of rhinoplasty.
What Are the Benefits of Combining the Surgeries?
Aside from spending less time on the operating table, why should you consider combining rhinoplasty and septoplasty or rhinoplasty and sinus surgery? Having two surgeries performed together shortens your recovery time. Instead of setting aside two weeks for recovery after sinus surgery and two weeks for recovery after rhinoplasty, you need two weeks of initial recovery from both surgeries together.
It’s also usually less expensive to combine procedures. When you have two procedures performed at different times, you pay for anesthesia and the surgical facility, twice. When you have them together, the fees are combined and usually lower. Plus, many insurance plans are likely to offer at least some coverage for sinus surgeries and septoplasty, and some cover rhinoplasty when it is performed for functional reasons. But you won’t get any coverage if you have rhinoplasty performed as a purely cosmetic procedure.
About Iranian Surgery
Iranian surgery is an online medical tourism platform where you can find the best doctors and plastic surgeons in Iran. The price of Rhinoplasty and Sinus Surgery in Iran can vary according to each individual’s case and will be determined by an in-person assessment with the doctor.
For more information about the cost of Rhinoplasty and Sinus Surgery in Iran and to schedule an appointment in advance, you can contact Iranian Surgery consultants via WhatsApp number 0098 901 929 0946. This service is completely free.
Source:
https://www.hudsonvalleysinuscenter.com/blog/combine-rhinoplasty-sinus-surgery