second is that from a cost stand-
point, the patient doesn't need to
pay a facility fee or for general
anesthesia, "so it's typically a cost
savings for them."
"The pendulum is swinging
toward favoring being less invasive when it comes to sinus surgery,"
he adds. "In the past, a lot of times we would have to access the sinus
surgically via tissue removal. Now with the balloon sinuplasty, it's less
invasive and we can often get the same results without doing a big
surgery."
4
Drug-eluting stents
Drug-eluting implants are one of the
fastest growing areas of sinus surgery. These stents promise to
provide 2 big benefits to surgeons and their patients: mechanical sup-
port in the sinus while placing topical steroid in the cavity to reduce
inflammation, says Dr. Wolf.
"Over the course of a few weeks, these stents elute a steroid that
can help reduce the inflammation and polyps," says Dr. Wolf. "They
also maintain patency. They helped medialize the middle turbinate so
it doesn't scar over after surgery."
Dr. Svider notes that these stents can be especially useful in patients
with inflammatory disease and those with nasal polyps. Though cost
can be an issue, he says that physicians can use them to improve out-
comes with limited risk. "There aren't a whole lot of downsides to
them," he says.
Though some studies by manufacturers show amazing results, Dr.
Zadeh says he hasn't seen the same level of success in the community.
However, he notes that there is a limited role for them in the specialty.
"They're great for someone who might have a lot of polyps," he says.
J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 7 3
Image-guided surgery
can benefit both the
novice and the expert
ENT surgeon.
