Sinusitis FAQ

Just had surgery 2 months ago…. blocked again!

Question:

I just went to my ENT for a follow-up to my sinus surgery in August.  2 weeks after he removed the stint from my right frontal sinus I began having headaches and earache again.  Today he did the scope thing and said that my sinus is blocked again.  It was scar tissue before and probably has grown back.  He is perplexed and I am beside myself with frustration.  Has anyone had this problem before? Sherry

Response:

Hi Sherry, Unfortunately, post-surgical stenosis of the frontal ducts can happen to patients with severe chronic frontal sinusitis. Some patients are also more prone to scarring than others. I am experiencing exactly the same problem. Some surgeons prefer leaving the stents in place for a longer period of time in hope that the mucosa will heal more completely before removing them. However, I have heard other claims that the stents themselves can cause inflammation as a foreign body. Was the drainage adequate with the stent in place? The modified Lothrop procedure is another alternative where the inferior floor of the affected frontal sinuse(s) is completely drilled out endoscopically and the posterior septum taken down if you have bilateral disease. The inter-sinus septum is also drilled out in the process to join the two frontal sinuses together creating ONE single large opening. However, studies have shown that this surgically created oversized ostium can also gradually close off with time. Besides obliterating the frontal sinuses when everything else has failed, there doesn’t seem to be a mutually agreed surgical procedure to deal with recurrent frontal sinus blockage. The frontal sinus obliteration procedure is an external procedure that is much more invasive and morbid than functional endoscopic sinus surgery and carries its own risks in the long term. I would obtain a few more opinions from reputable sinus surgeons as to your next step. Cheers, Michael Muloin Vancouver, BC, Canada Sherry <sschn…@hsonline.net> wrote in message

news:37fd5496$0$79682@news.hsonline.net… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I just went to my ENT for a follow-up to my sinus surgery in August.  2 > weeks after he removed the stint from my right frontal sinus I began having > headaches and earache again.  Today he did the scope thing and said that my > sinus is blocked again.  It was scar tissue before and probably has grown > back.  He is perplexed and I am beside myself with frustration.  Has anyone > had this problem before? > Sherry

Response:

>I just went to my ENT for a follow-up to my sinus surgery in August.  2 >weeks after he removed the stint from my right frontal sinus I began having >headaches and earache again.  Today he did the scope thing and said that my >sinus is blocked again.  It was scar tissue before and probably has grown >back.  He is perplexed and I am beside myself with frustration.  Has anyone >had this problem before? >Sherry

Hi Sherry, I recognize this problem. This doesn’t happen a lot, but mostly due to removing too less tissue in the first place. My guess is your ENT was "too" careful in removing what was necessary. Wim

Response:

Filed under: Frontal sinusitis

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