It's important to choose the right surgeon for a revision sinus surgery.
If you’ve recently obtained a sinus surgery to open the pathways surrounding the sinuses or to clear any blockages that have caused you to experience symptoms, it’s possible that another surgery will eventually be required if the issue returns. In this event, you should heavily consider obtaining a revision sinus surgery.
What Is a Revision Sinus Surgery?
A revision sinus surgery is essentially the same procedure as a standard sinus surgery, which is typically performed for such conditions as sinusitis and nasal polyps. It’s also possible that a tumor could be blocking a sinus passage, which would need to be removed to ensure that the cancer doesn’t spread.
The most common form of sinus surgery is an endoscopic sinus surgery, which is a minimally-invasive procedure that uses a thin tube called an endoscope. This tube is inserted directly into the nose before micro surgical instruments are sent through the tube to perform the surgery. The best aspect of this type of sinus surgery is that swelling and scarring are kept to a minimum. While your endoscopic procedure was likely successful, chronic sinusitis is a condition that can return and may even require an additional surgery. In such a scenario, a revision sinus surgery is necessary.
How to Prepare for This Surgery
Your doctor will likely provide you with some medications in the week or two before the procedure that will help to reduce your inflammation in and around the treatment area. Make sure that you stop smoking for at least three weeks before the surgery is set to take place. You should also avoid taking certain medications like aspirin in the weeks before the surgery because of the increased risk of bleeding that comes with taking such medications.
Risks of Obtaining a Revision Sinus Surgery
There are some risks that you should be on the lookout for when considering a revision sinus surgery, all of which should be discussed with your surgeon. While an endoscopic sinus surgery is less invasive than most other surgeries, there are a couple of risks that come with performing the same procedure twice or even three times in the same area. Any residual scar tissue from the previous surgery could be re-aggravated. It’s also possible that some of your nasal tissue didn’t heal properly, which is a problem that could be made even worse with an additional surgery. While it’s possible that these risks could occur during your surgery, a talented surgeon should be able to minimize a poor outcome.
What to Expect From the Procedure
The process of a revision sinus surgery is similar to standard sinus surgery at UCI’s Sinus Surgery Center. You’ll be placed under general anesthesia before the procedure takes place. The actual procedure that is administered to you depends on the type that you obtained the first time. If the initial procedure was an endoscopic one, the treatment should be completed in just a couple of hours.