Revision Sinus Surgery

REVISION SINUS SURGERY IN LOS ANGELES

Chronic sinusitis is the most common of all chronic conditions, affecting 30 million people in the U.S. Approximately 300,000 sinus surgeries are performed every year, a significant percentage of which are revision surgeries. Patients may need revision sinus surgery if they had sinus surgery in the past but still have persistent symptoms, or to remove recurring polyps.

At Los Angeles Sinus Institute, Dr. Zadeh uses advanced diagnostic techniques and medical therapies to treat many nasal and sinus disorders. He believes strongly in implementing strategies to treat the source of disease, rather than treating only the symptoms. However, some sinus ailments cannot be treated with medicine alone. Dr. Zadeh specializes in the latest, minimally invasive surgical procedures to treat nasal and sinus disorders.

WHY IS REVISION SINUS SURGERY NEEDED?

Ninety percent of the patients who have undergone sinus surgery report significant improvement in their quality of life after the surgery. However, in a small percentage of cases, sinus surgery did not achieve the desired results. Some of the reasons sinus surgery may not have been successful include:

• Difficult to treat severe chronic sinusitis
• Scar tissue development
• Insufficient tissue removal in a previous surgery
• Inadequate drainage (often because of scar tissue development or insufficient tissue removal)
• Delayed complications of the initial surgery

Some patients experience tremendous relief after sinus surgery for an extended period of time, but eventually suffer a relapse of symptoms. Even when initial sinus surgery is successful, severe infection or other factors could make revision sinus surgery necessary.

When performed properly, revision sinus surgery can be effective in treating sinus symptoms. The surgeon can remove inflamed tissue that was not removed in the previous surgery to help open up the sinuses. Obstructive scar tissue can be removed, and proper post-operative care can help minimize new scar tissue, so that topical medications will be more effective in the future.

REVISION SINUS SURGERY PROCEDURES

If you have undergone any of the following procedures in the past but are once again experiencing symptoms, revision sinus surgery may be indicated:

• Turbinate reduction surgery
• Septal surgery
• Endoscopic sinus surgery
• Balloon sinuplasty

LOS ANGELES REVISION SINUS SURGEON

Dr. Zadeh treats the whole patient, not only the disorder, and the source of the disease, not only the symptoms. We use advanced technology to accurately diagnose nasal and sinus disorders and effectively treat them with safe, minimally invasive procedures. Additionally, we use this technology to better understand the disease process so we can perform revision surgery that is truly successful.

Dr. Zadeh is an expert in revision sinus surgery. In fact, many other ENTs refer their patients to Dr. Zadeh when their first surgery is not successful, as he is consistently able to treat such patients with success.

Imaging and testing technologies we use in our practice include:

• CT Imaging: A CAT scan is a non-invasive diagnostic tool that provides us with three-dimensional x-ray images of a patient’s sinus anatomy. We can perform CAT scans in our office with the Xoran MiniCAT™ scanner, a small, upright CT scanner with an open, patient-friendly design that produces fast, high quality sinus images.
• Nasal Endoscopy: Dr. Zadeh can perform a safe, quick evaluation of the patient’s nasal passages using an endoscope -- a slender, fiber-optic instrument. The doctor can look directly through the endoscope or attach a medical video camera to display images on a special video monitor.
• Sinus Cultures: When there is infection in the sinuses, Dr. Zadeh uses cultures to identify the organism causing the infection. This is important, as many micro-organisms have developed immunities to antibiotics. Sinus cultures go to our in-house microbiology lab.
• Allergy Testing: Sinus symptoms are often caused by allergies, and skin testing is the oldest and most reliable form of allergy testing. We use it to help us determine which specific allergens are causing sinus symptoms, after which we can administer immunotherapy (allergy shots).

Dr. Zadeh is a Board Certified, Columbia University-trained Otolaryngologist, specializing in Head and Neck Surgery and specifically, nasal obstruction and chronic sinusitis. If you need revision sinus surgery, schedule an initial consultation at Los Angeles Sinus Institute. We are the premier sinus healthcare provider in the greater Los Angeles area.