Balloon Sinuplasty Effective for Treating Chronic Sinusitis

Follow-up studies of balloon sinuplasty patients confirm that sinuplasty technology is safe and effective when used to treat chronic sinusitis patients.

Researchers at the Georgia Nasal and Sinus Institute (Savannah, USA) and the Sinus Center of the South (Biloxi, MS, USA) conducted one and two year follow-ups of 109 patients who had minimally invasive sinus surgery using balloon sinuplasty technology that were performed in 2005; all patients had participated previously in the Clinical Evaluation to Confirm Safety and Efficacy of Sinuplasty in the Paranasal Sinuses (CLEAR) study. Patients were prospectively evaluated by Sinonasal Outcome Test (SNOT-20) and computed tomographic (CT) scan. The studies found that 92% of the patients had functional patency of the cleared drainage channels at one-year follow-up; at two-year follow-up, 85% of patients reported improvement in their sinus symptoms. No patient's condition worsened, and clinically and statistically significant improvements in their quality of life were maintained at one and two year follow-up. No serious adverse events observed at any time point throughout the studies. Both studies were published in the September 2008 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

"These multi-year data continue to affirm the safety and effectiveness of balloon sinuplasty technology. Patients can feel confident that this technology truly provides significant, durable improvement in sinus symptoms and overall quality of life,” said lead author of the two-year study and co-author of the one-year study, otolaryngologist Raymond Weiss, M.D. of the Sinus Center of the South.

Balloon Sinuplasty technology, developed by Acclarent (Menlo Park, CA, USA) is used to restore normal sinus drainage by widening constricted passages with balloons using an endoscopic, catheter-based system, and can be used alone or in conjunction with standard surgical instrumentation. There is little or no damage to nasal mucosa or to the ostia of the sinus. Recovery times vary after sinus surgery, but patients typically return to normal activities within 24 hours of treatment.

Related Links:
Sinus Center of the South
Acclarent