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The sinuses are cavities filled with air inside the facial skeleton, located around the nose and eyes. These spaces are generally called paranasal sinuses, but due to their location we distinguish the following pairs of sinuses: frontal sinuses located above the eyes, maxillary sinuses located below the eyes, sphenoid sinuses located within the sphenoid bone, and ethmoid sinuses located within the ethmoid bone. The sinuses connect with the nasal cavity directly through the sinus openings. Their inside is lined with a mucosa, which is an extension of the nasal mucosa.
The material was created in cooperation with the MML Medical Center
The sinuses perform several functions: they are responsible for heating and moisturizing the air inhaled, they protect and heat-insulate the skull structures, they take part in perceiving olfactory stimuli and modulating the voice. The craniofacial mass is also reduced thanks to the air spaces in the sinuses. Sinus problems are caused by inflammation of the sinuses. The secretion accumulating in them and insufficient ventilation are the cause of many ailments. For some people, the frequently recurring sinus inflammation is a serious problem.
The causes of sinus problems
– Sinusitis can affect anyone regardless of gender or age. Their immediate cause is viral, bacterial or fungal infections. However, those with permanent nasal obstruction are the most vulnerable. It can be caused by a congenital or resulting from an injury or diseases, an abnormal anatomical structure, such as a distorted nasal septum, polyps, narrowing of the sinus, turbinate hypertrophy or edema in the nasal cavity – informs Dr. Med. Michał Michalik from the MML Medical Center.
– Allergy sufferers are another group of people who are particularly prone to sinusitis. Inhaled allergens, e.g. pollen of grasses and trees, mites or fungal spores, cause an allergic runny nose, which often causes nasal obstruction and sinusitis. Most often, however, problems with the sinuses appear in the winter, after an infection of the upper respiratory tract. Fall and winter infections are caused by frequent changes in temperature and humidity, but also by reduced immunity of the body, adds the drug. Marcin Broda from the MML Medical Center. Recent studies show that beneficial intestinal bacteria also have an indirect influence on sinus pathology. Disturbances in the intestinal bacterial flora indirectly translate into the quality and quantity of microorganisms in other parts of the body, including the sinuses. People who often have sinus problems also often have gastric problems. However, no matter what directly or indirectly causes the sinusitis, the symptoms are bothersome, painful and make it difficult to function properly.
Symptoms of sinusitis
Dr. n. Med. Michał Michalik points out that sinusitis in the initial period is often confused with a minor cold and we often underestimate a runny nose or the feeling of stuffy nose. However, if the symptoms last longer than seven days, you should see a doctor. With sinusitis, there may also be swelling of the eyelids and nose, a feeling of secretion running down the back of the throat, a general feeling of weakness and breakdown, impairment or complete loss of smell, sometimes unpleasant smell from the mouth and nose, fever and discomfort or pain in various parts of the face and head, depending on what sinuses were involved. With maxillary sinusitis, you may experience cheekbone pain on one or both sides, depending on whether the inflammation affects one or both of the sinuses, toothache, and a headache in the temporal part. Pain worsens when the head is tilted or tilted, and it is lessened in the supine position. With frontal sinusitis, pain is felt around the forehead. It increases with bending and supine position, and decreases with lifting the head. With sphenoiditis, pain occurs in the parietal, orbital and occipital areas. As with frontal sinusitis, it worsens in the supine position and with tilting the head.
The sphenoid sinuses are deeper and most often inflamed by infection in other sinuses. Complications of sphenoid sinusitis are particularly dangerous – they can result in meningitis, optic neuritis or impaired sense of smell. Symptoms of ethmoid sinusitis are pain or pressure in the corners of the eyes that increases when you cough. Depending on the duration of the inflammation, sinusitis can be divided into acute sinusitis, lasting up to three months, and chronic sinusitis, lasting more than three months.
Treatment of the sinuses
Conservative treatment is used for rare and mild sinusitis. It consists in the application of intranasal saline preparations, isotonic and hypertonic agents, agents thinning the secretion and decongestants, and nasal steroids. Always take your medications exactly as your doctor prescribes or as directed on the packaging.
If conservative treatment does not bring the desired results, surgical procedures are used to eliminate the causes of sinus inflammation. Currently available methods are specialized and minimally invasive. One of them is balloon art. It consists in introducing soft and flexible devices through the nostrils, with the help of which the blocked sinus openings are opened. The procedure is bloodless and does not require stitches or dressings. It can be performed under local anesthesia on an outpatient basis.
The latest XprESS LOProfile ballooning method, used in Poland for the first time in 2015 at the MML Center in Warsaw, allows all sinuses to be restored with one tip. As the effect is almost immediate, the treatment is especially recommended in acute and painful sinusitis.
The hydrodebrider sinus irrigation is also a minimally invasive procedure. Specialized, very precise tips rinse the sinuses endoscopically, thus removing the residual secretion. During such a procedure, it is possible to deliver local drugs and antibiotics to the sinuses.
Another method of sinus treatment is FEOZ functional endoscopic sinus surgery, which involves intranasal surgery using endoscopic visualization. It allows to minimize the surgical intervention only to the diseased tissues. When using FEOZ, there is no need to disturb the skin of the face.
The use of specialized endoscopic tools and techniques makes the treatments highly precise and safe. After the procedure, gel dressings are used to aid healing. The patient returns to normal functioning within five days. All surgical procedures can be supported by the Cyclone method. This is an innovative method that allows the drug to be dispersed in sick sinuses. At the same time, it enables thorough sinus suction, eliminating 99% of discharge in the sinuses. Unfortunately, not all of the above-mentioned treatments are reimbursed and not all medical facilities can carry out such treatments because they are not equipped with the appropriate equipment. A specialist unit for the treatment of sinuses is i.a. MML Medical Center in Warsaw. The MML Medical Center also conducts multidirectional diagnosis of infections with the use of microbiological, histopathological, biochemical and immunological tests, as well as imaging diagnostics. More on sinus treatment: www.chorezatoki.pl.
The material was created in cooperation with the MML Medical Center