Hoosier State Today

Technology has helped physicians battle sinusitis, an age-old medical problem that has caused misery for many patients.

During a procedure called balloon sinuplasty, a catheter with a tiny balloon attached is inserted into the sinus cavity and slowly inflated to open the blocked passageway. It is then deflated and removed.

"Indianapolis Sinus Center offers the latest state-of-the art innovations and minimally invasive nasal and sinus surgeries that are done on-site in office," Dr. Anthony Sanders told Hoosier State Today. "These innovations include image guidance, where a CT scan is displayed on a monitor and a patient tracker -- much like a GPS for your  sinuses -- is attached to the balloon apparatus, and when this is placed in a person’s nose, we can see exactly where the device is on CT. Therefore, the image-guidance helps us to provide this service in the most safe manner possible."

The primary purpose of sinus surgery is to reduce chronic symptoms and infections, WebMD reported. Surgery should help a patient breathe better through their nose and can also improve a person's sense of smell or taste that has been affected by congestion.

Another treatment offered at Indianapolis Sinus Center is endoscopy, which is a common procedure. Doctors insert very thin and flexible instruments called endoscopes into the nose. One instrument has a small camera lens that sends images back to a screen, which allows a doctor can see where the sinuses are blocked. Doctors don’t actually cut into the skin, so the recovery is faster and easier. Endoscopy is usually done with a local anesthetic, so the patient will likely be able to go home when it’s over.

"Intravenous sedation is offered where the patient is given sedation medicine through IV in conjunction with local anesthetic to allow pain-free performance of any procedure that we offer," Sanders said.

Indianapolis Sinus Center offers a free online quiz to help potential patients evaluate their sinus symptoms and decide if they should see a doctor.