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Treatment for nasal
polyps
Nasal polyps tend to occur in patients who also have allergies. Once these polyps are diagnosed, treatment typically consists of multiple medications. Medications generally include anti-inflammatory sprays and medication, decongestants, and systemic steroid medications.
When your nasal polyps are severe enough to cause breathing problems or inhibit healthy sinus drainage, they generally require surgical removal called a polypectomy. To help identify the precise location of these polyps, you may need to have a CT scan of this area.
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Most of the time, a polypectomy is performed endoscopically with
functional endoscopic sinus surgery
(FESS). This means that the surgeon inserts a thin telescope (endoscope) into your nose through your nostril to visualize the polyps and then removes them with an instrument called a microdebrider (pronounced "MI-cro-duh-BREE-der"). The microdebrider has a tiny rotating tip that offers the surgeon more precision and control than traditional tools, and less risk of damaging healthy tissue nearby. |
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A polypectomy may take place in the operating room or in your surgeon's office. To make sure polyps do not recur, it's important to be checked regularly. Long-term medication is often needed to prevent re-growth. In many cases, if you follow a proper medical and surgical treatment plan, nasal polyps will not re-grow large enough to cause future symptoms.
Note: Although nasal and sinus polyps are rare in children, they should be taken very seriously. Any child with nasal and sinus polyps should be screened for cystic fibrosis, Kartagener's syndrome, and allergic fungal sinusitis.
For more information on nasal polyps, please visit www.sinusinfocenter.com.
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