1 FREE - Winthrop University Hospital

Summer 2009
Institute for Specialty Care
Cutting-Edge Endoscopic Technique Offers
New Hope to Patients with Chronic Sinus Pain
Fifteen-year-old Maggie Parks of
Garden City couldn’t make it through
a shopping trip without having a
coughing fit.
“I was literally coughing every
hour of the day,” said Maggie. “People
would stare and ask me if I was sick.”
But Maggie wasn’t sick as strangers
supposed; she was just one of the 37
million people suffering from sinusitis.
Sinusitis occurs when the cavities
around the nasal passages (sinuses)
become inflamed. This interferes with
normal drainage in the sinuses, causing
mucus to build up. Characterized
by a cough, facial pain or pressure,
nasal congestion, and headache
among other symptoms, sinusitis that
continues for an extended period of
time is considered chronic.
Like many sinus sufferers, Maggie’s
chronic sinusitis infringed on her life.
She was frequently absent from school
and lost interest in playing sports due
to exhaustion. Her mother, Margaret
Parks, was desperate to find a way to
get her daughter some relief.
“We tried everything – medications,
sprays, even nasal pots which clear
toxins from the nose – and Maggie
still had no relief!” said Mrs. Parks.
“We knew there had to be something
out there that could help her.”
In August, Mrs. Parks took her
daughter for an evaluation by Winthrop
otolaryngologist Warren H. Zelman,
MD, a specialist in the full range of
pediatric and adult otolaryngology,
head and neck surgery.
“We needed answers and were
confident that Dr. Zelman would leave
no stone unturned,” said Mrs. Parks.
Upon thorough examination and
comprehensive testing, Dr. Zelman
determined that Maggie was an ideal
candidate for a minimally invasive
2 Cornerstone
endoscopic technique using Balloon
Sinuplasty – just one of the many
advanced technologies available to
ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) patients
at Winthrop.
“Balloon Sinuplasty is a cuttingedge
device that ventilates and drains
the sinus with virtually no risk to the
patient,” said Dr. Zelman.
“Not all sinusitis is the same.
Medical therapy can alleviate symptoms
for some chronic sinusitis sufferers, but
for others like Maggie, medical modalities
alone are not enough. These
patients may be candidates for Balloon
Sinuplasty,” added Dr. Zelman.
The sinus guide
catheter and sinus
guidewire are placed
through the nostrils
into the target sinus.
Balloon Sinuplasty – the latest
evolution in endoscopic sinus surgery
– involves the placement of a small,
flexible balloon catheter through the
nostril into the blocked sinus passageway.
When the balloon is inflated,
it gently restructures and ventilates
the blocked nasal passages to restore
normal sinus drainage and function.
The technique is often used in conjunction
with other forms of
endoscopic sinus surgery.
Maseih Moghaddassi, MD,
otolaryngologist at Winthrop, began
using this cutting-edge technology as
soon as it was approved by the FDA.
Dr. Moghaddassi is an advocate for
the device which “provides an excellent
option for a large patient
population where medical therapy
wasn’t enough, but conventional surgery
was too aggressive.” In addition,
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The sinus balloon
catheter is advanced
over the sinus
guidewire and
positioned across
the blocked sinus
opening (ostium).
The sinus balloon
catheter is inflated,
the sinus is flushed,
and the blocked
ostium is gently
restructured.
The sinus balloon
catheter is deflated
and removed, resulting
in an open sinus
passageway and
restoring normal
sinus drainage and
function.
Dr. Moghaddassi notes the important
advantages it has over traditional
sinus surgery.
“Some patients refrain from having
sinus surgery because of fear of bone
or tissue removal, or post-operative
Images Courtesy of Acclarent, Inc.