Dr. James D Ulm, assistant professor of otolaryngology, and head and neck surgery at the Indiana School of Medicine, has developed a procedure similar to balloon angioplasty, but applied it to sinus inflammation.
Balloon Sinuplasty™ is a minimally invasive procedure that utilizes a small catheter and a balloon to quickly open and expand blocked sinuses, restoring normal sinus drainage and function. Until recently, patients with sinusitis were treated with pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics or topical nasal steroids, or conventional sinus surgery which, in some cases, requires bone and tissue removal to unblock sinus passageways.
Not all patients will qualify for the procedure, but for those that do, the surgery is less time-consuming, is safe and effective and has a shorter recovery time and less discomfort than the more traditional sinus surgery. Most patients can return to work the next day, said Dr. Ulm.
We recently covered balloon sinuplasty controversy here.
The press release…