Balloon sinuplasty is a procedure – or specifically a surgical device – used during endoscopic sinus surgery. During a balloon sinuplasty, balloons are placed into the blocked sinus drainage areas to open them up and promote drainage and ventilation of the affected sinus. Your surgeon may perform a balloon sinuplasty as a stand-alone procedure in the office under local anesthesia, or in combination with more traditional endoscopic sinus surgery. Your surgeon may also obtain mucous cultures to assist in your treatment with antibiotics and steroids.

Balloon sinuplasty is typically not recommended for extensive inflammation of the nose and sinuses, and particularly when there is extensive sinus disease or polyps. It is also not recommended if you have received normal results from a nasal endoscopy and CT scans, or if your only symptom is a headache without any nasal problems. Also, as with as with endoscopic sinus surgery, balloon sinuplasty should only be performed after other, more conservative treatments have not been effective.

Who is a Candidate?

Balloon sinuplasty is not for everyone. However, in some people with ENT conditions, like chronic sinusitis and recurrent infections, balloon sinuplasty may be an initial option for treatment prior to considering more traditional endoscopic sinus surgery when medical therapy is alone is unsuccessful. This procedure may decrease recovery time. Only with a thorough evaluation, along with a CT scan, can your surgeon decide what will be the most effective treatment for your sinuses.

What to Expect

During balloon sinuplasty, your ENT surgeon places a special balloon into the opening of your sinuses. Expanding the balloon in the narrowed sinus openings stretches the natural openings and allows them to become wider. It is not effective when the narrowing is due to severe scarring, such as if you have previously undergone nasal surgery, or when the balloon cannot reach the affected opening. In some cases, we perform this procedure in the office setting under local anesthesia. Sinuplasty may also be used along with traditional endoscopic sinus surgery under general anesthesia (fully asleep) in the hospital.

Why Choose UHealth?

Ranked in the nation’s top tier by U.S. News & World Report. The ranking reflects the team’s dedication to excellence in research patient care and outcomes. Surgeons, audiologists, biomedical engineers, speech pathologists, researchers, and psychologists collaborate with many research programs at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to deliver the best possible multidisciplinary care to pediatric and adult ear, nose, and throat patients.

Highly specialized rhinology doctors. The experts at University of Miami Health are here to help you breathe easier, smell better, and rest better with an accurate diagnosis and leading edge treatments in a compassionate setting. Our fellowship-trained providers specialize in the nasal airway, and our rhinology specialists have completed specialized training in nasal and sinus disorders. They have dedicated their clinical and research careers to caring for nasal and sinus disorders.

Our academic health center provides you with more treatment options. Our ENT specialists are experts in the field of rhinology. As part of an academic health center, we are proud to offer breakthrough treatments not available to other facilities in South Florida. We also offer our patients early access to clinical trials and new medical and procedural treatments. We provide comprehensive care for a wide array of rhinologic conditions, backed by expertise, research, and education.