Generally speaking, surgery is the last step used to treat any illness or condition. Incisions made into the body can damage healthy tissue, introduce the risk for infection, and create the need for a recovery period.
Each of these risks can be minimized by avoiding surgery. That’s why new, nonsurgical innovations cause excitement and often become a new standard for treatment. When it comes to reversing the problems created by nasal polyps, Sinuva® is such a nonsurgical solution.
Otolaryngologist Alexis Furze, MD, whose practice is in Newport Beach, California, recommends Sinuva for patients who have nasal polyps that are severe enough to cause symptoms. Sinuva requires no incisions and delivers active medication directly to where it’s needed.
In this blog, Dr. Furze explains what nasal polyps are and how Sinuva can treat them.
Nasal polyps are benign growths that form on the nasal passages and sinuses. These teardrop-shaped nodules superficially resemble skin tags that can form elsewhere on the body.
While polyps don’t directly cause medical issues, they take up valuable space within the breathing passages and sinuses, which can cause problems with drainage in these areas. These problems can lead to conditions that support bacterial infections, inflammation, congestion, and breathing difficulties.
Polyps that are large enough to cause problems can be surgically removed, but this is usually a last resort. Even if you have nasal polyps surgically removed, they may return, which is a problem with every treatment method for these fleshy growths.
Conventionally, nasal polyp treatments start with methods that attempt to shrink the size of the polyps using medication. This only becomes necessary if you start to experience symptoms from enlarged polyps. These symptoms can include:
You may also find that you snore more frequently or loudly with blocked nasal passages resulting from polyps.
When it comes to shrinking the size of nasal polyps, mometasone furoate — which is a corticosteroid — does a great job. However, delivering it with a nasal spray has limited effectiveness, because the medicine may not make direct contact with the polyps.
This is where Sinuva comes in. Sinuva is a small stent that is placed where the nasal polyps are, and it gradually delivers mometasone furoate directly to the polyps for 90 days, shrinking the polyps over a three-month period.
Sinuva shows few side effects for most patients, and it's an excellent option for patients who develop new polyps after polyp removal surgery. Furthermore, the stent can be placed during a routine office visit.
If you’re bothered by nasal polyps, Dr. Furze can help. To learn more about Sinuva and to see if it might be able to help you, call 949-389-6673 to book an appointment with the practice of Alexis Furze, MD, today.
