TRADITIONAL FRONTAL SINUS SURGERY

Frontal sinus surgery is performed either through an incision by the eyebrow and can be combined with the ethmoid surgery. Occasionally, the surgeon will leave a drain in this area for 24 - 72 hours, or longer. If the frontal sinus disease is bad enough or the scarring from the disease or previous surgery is obstructive of this area, the surgeon may need to drill out the frontal duct or leave a stent in this area. This procedure
combined with an external ethmoidectomy is called a Lynch procedure (frontoethmoidectomy).

For severe disease in the frontal sinus, including a particularly aggressive mucocele, an osteoplastic flap with fat obliteration may need to be performed. This entails an incision across the hair line, where the skin and soft tissues of the forehead are then totally dropped down. The surgeon then can open the frontal sinus, and with fat taken from the abdominal wall, can pack the frontal sinus, thereby obliterating it. Stitches are placed in the forehead to close the incision site and a scar usually remains, which is especially noticeable if you are balding.

There is usually significant swelling and black-and-blue marks to the forehead and around the eyes which usually resolve over a few weeks. Unfortunately, this type of surgery usually means significant blood loss, requires a hospital stay, packing, and general anesthesia.

Sinus Tips:

Feeling Better, and Loving It

By following the guidelines I’ve outlined and choosing your surgeon carefully, I believe that you will find significant relief from your sinus problems. Most of my patients repor

AT-HOME CARE

Without a doubt, sinus infections can recur. As mentioned earlier, surgery does not change the way you respond to the environment. At best, your sinuses will be near normal. Patien

BACK IN THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE: FOLLOW-UP CARE

FESS is not over once you leave the operating room. FESS has brought with its development three major advances in the treatment of sinus disease. The first advance is that it has a

Postsurgical Care

You will most likely be feeling, and breathing, much better immediately after your surgery. However, don’t mistake or underestimate the amount of surgery that you have just been

Getting Ready for Surgery

Once you and your ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist have exhausted all other medical options, you may be scheduled for surgery. Just like anything else, you need to prepare yo

Image Guidance Surgery

One of the latest improvements in nasal and sinus surgery is the use of image guidance systems. Different companies make instrumentation that can calibrate a computed tomography (C