Lasting Relief With SINUVA®
If you’ve had surgery for nasal polyps but still experience a constant runny nose, congestion, headaches or other symptoms, you might wonder what your options are. Though effective in many cases, certain medications may not always provide relief.
Thankfully, SINUVA® may be the perfect solution.
Symptoms of Nasal Polyps
Some nasal polyps are tiny and cause few problems. Others produce symptoms such as runny nose, congestion, sneezing, loss of smell and taste, postnasal drip, headache, sinus pain and pressure and snoring. If symptoms persist longer than ten days and are not associated with a cold or allergies, seek medical attention. Even though nasal polyps are benign, if left untreated they can grow large enough to cause serious complications including obstructive sleep apnea, meningitis, blood clots and aneurysms.
Who Can SINUVA Help?
SINUVA is a medical steroid-releasing (mometasone furoate) implant for adult patients who have had ethmoid sinus surgery. The procedure also helps to shrink any inflamed tissue that remains in your nose.
Your doctor will diagnose nasal polyps or complications related to polyps based on your symptoms and medical history. An imaging test, either a CT scan or MRI, can be useful in determining the size of the polyp and in ruling out more serious growths, such as tumors. Allergy tests may also be administered to identify any other potential substance responsible for your symptoms.
What to Expect
Your specialist will apply local anesthesia to numb the area in your nose to make the treatment process painless. The doctor will then insert a small wand-like device; this device uses low-temperature radiofrequency to help calm overactive sinus nerves.
The materials in your SINUVA implant soften over time and might fall out if:
- Your polyps decrease in size
- If you sneeze
- If you forcefully blow your nose
Following initial treatment, patients may have a potential follow-up visit afterwards. Your doctor will remove the implant at least 90 days after placement or earlier if it remains.
Once finished, patients will see an improvement in:
- Runny nose and nasal congestion
- Headaches from sinus pressure
- Post-nasal drip
- Snoring
- Overall quality of life
For more information on what to expect and potential side effects, be sure to visit the SINUVA website.
Call ENT Associates of East Texas at (903) 592-5601 for more information or to schedule an appointment.