How long does it take to recover from sinus surgery?

I have had sinusitis for 20 years. Every time the weather turns cold, it causes a runny nose, stuffy nose, and headaches. How long does it take to recover from sinus surgery? (Quoc Trung, Binh Phuoc)

Reply:

Sinus surgery is the last resort for treating chronic sinus diseases that do not respond to medication or fungal sinusitis, sinusitis causing complications of the eye socket, compression of the optic nerve. Patients with structural abnormalities of the sinuses such as nasal polyps, deviated septum, pneumatization of the nasal turbinate... are also indicated for sinus surgery.

There are many types of this method such as functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS); ethmoid sinus curettage, maxillary sinus, frontal sinus, sphenoid sinus opening, septoplasty, turbinate surgery, balloon sinusplasty, open surgery...

Among them, functional endoscopic sinus surgery is the most common, applied to cases such as chronic sinus infections, nasal polyps, sinus fungus, small tumors, trauma, congenital malformations... Sinus surgery is performed through the nose under endoscopy, so the doctor does not need to make an external incision to open the sinus, does not leave scars, ensuring aesthetics for the patient.

Depending on the type of surgery and the specific nature of each case, the surgery time can vary, averaging 2 hours. The patient recovers 10-15 minutes after surgery, depending on the anesthesia method and anesthesia control of the anesthesiologist.

With modern surgical equipment at Tam Anh General Hospital, patients only need to stay in the hospital for 2-3 days after surgery, half the time compared to the old method (5-7 days in the hospital).

After 3-4 days of discharge, the patient can work normally but should avoid contact with dusty, polluted environments or heavy labor. In the first two weeks, symptoms of runny nose, stuffy nose, sore nose, facial pain... may occur but gradually decrease. You should keep your head elevated when sleeping, rinse your nose with saline 3-4 times a day, keep your nose and surgical wound clean and dry, rest, eat nutritious food, and avoid foods that cause allergies.

Most patients recover completely within about a month after sinus surgery. However, patients need to have regular check-ups 3-6 months after surgery so that the doctor can monitor and check the healing process of the sinuses.

Sinus surgery is a complex treatment technique due to the anatomical structure of the sinuses near sensitive parts such as the skull base, cranial nerves... If the surgeon lacks surgical experience or the equipment is outdated, it can increase the risk of complications during surgery such as vision loss, encephalitis - meningitis.

Patients should go to reputable facilities with ENT, Anesthesia - Resuscitation, and Emergency departments with good doctors and modern equipment for good treatment.

MSc.MD.CKII Tran Thi Thuy Hang
Head of ENT Department, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City

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