North Palm Beach Today

• Almost 29 million people in the U.S. suffer from chronic sinusitis.

• Balloon sinuplasty is less invasive, carries and a lower risk and has a shorter recovery period than traditional sinus surgery.

• Average recovery time for a balloon sinuplasty patient is one to two days.

Dr. Cody Aull | West Palm Beach Breathe Free

Chronic sinusitis sufferers can benefit from a low-trauma surgical procedure that works with the body, rather than removing tissue from it, a West Palm Beach-based sinus specialist told North Palm Beach Today. Balloon sinuplasty is as minimally invasive as sinus procedures come, Dr. Cody Aull of West Palm Beach Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers said.

"It allows us to do a lot of things minimally," Aull said. "We can use the functional holes that are there and augment them with balloon sinuplasty."

The procedure doesn't require traditional surgery.

"The nice thing about sinus surgery is that we have a natural opening right there," Aull said. "We just need small enough instruments to get through it, and we've got those."

Balloon sinuplasty also benefits from modern technology.

"Now, with the advent of technology and small cameras, I can sit there and watch what I'm doing on a massive TV," Aull said.

Balloon sinuplasty also is simpler than traditional sinus surgery.

"We can do things easily -- just a little topical anesthesia," Aull said. "People are so relaxed. We talk throughout the entire thing. The majority of patients feel like it was just a really long, hard nose-blowing that they had throughout."

Aull, an otolaryngologist and former U.S. Navy flight surgeon, specializes in diagnosing and managing ear, nose, sinuses, throat and other related conditions.

West Palm Beach Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers is located on North Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach.

Chronic sinusitis is far from a rare condition in the U.S. The ailment affects 28.9 million American adults, 11% of the adult population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chronic sinusitis also is responsible for 4.1 million doctor visits and more than 230,000 emergency room visits each year.

Chronic sinusitis is one of the most common chronic medical conditions in the U.S. and often has a negative effect on quality of life, according to a National Center for Biotechnology Information study first published in 2015. The study compared patients who underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery with patients who opted for a balloon sinuplasty to treat chronic sinusitis. The study found that, although both procedures are effective, balloon sinuplasty patients needed fewer antibiotic treatment after their procedures than did patients in the other group. Functional endoscopic sinus surgery requires removal of sinus tissue, while balloon sinuplasty relies on dilation to improve sinus function and doesn't involved removing any tissue, which is why it is less traumatic.

A balloon sinuplasty procedure lasts about 10 to 15 minutes, and patients typically recover within one to two days, according to Dr. Bradley Eisemann of Eisemann Plastic Surgery Center. Most patients resume their normal activities in that same short time period, though they may experience some swelling for up to a week. By contrast, functional endoscopic sinus surgical procedures can take two hours and patients might need up to four weeks to fully recover and also should avoid strenuous activities, such as exercising, during that time.

If you're interested in learning more about diagnosis or treatment of chronic sinusitis, please take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.