Balloon sinuplasty

Purnima Sharma

It was the city's pollution that did her in. "Just going back and forth to the office is what landed me, over a period of time, with an acute sinus problem," says Kuljeet Khurana, 49, working with a semi-government undertaking. "It started with an allergy, nasal congestion, puffy eyes and dry cough that, with time, aggravated so much that neither medicines nor steaming, homeopathy or nasal sprays helped."

According to a study by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, chronic sinusitis affects nearly 150 million people in India making it the second largest country of those affected after China. "People often mistake it for regular cold and cough – not realising that it is considered more debilitating to a person's quality of life than even congestive heart failure and chronic back pain," says Dr Ameet Kishore, senior consultant, ENT, at Apollo Hospitals.

Sania Nehwal and P.V.Sindhu Even doing normal, everyday chores became increasingly difficult as Kuljeet would have a constant headache and be out of breath all the time. The ENT specialists she contacted diagnosed her condition as 'chronic sinusitis'. Having ruled out surgery because she'd heard her friends and relatives say that the problem invariably comes back, Kuljeet settled for another option – the minimally invasive technique of 'Balloon Sinuplasty' -- that promised relief since it was now a "do-or-die situation" for her. First launched in the US, balloon sinuplasty came to India in 2007.
And at the Gangaram Hospital in Delhi, Kuljeet was the first to try it out. And she has no regrets. "My children felt their mother was a changed person – gone was that sickly lady they had become used to. And most importantly, I'd got rid of the hoarse sounds that would emanate from my throat. I'd got my original voice back," she says.
Much like angioplasty for the heart, balloon sinuplasty works with a specially designed balloon catheter that is inserted into the nose to reach out into the various sinuses. As Dr Shalabh Sharma, ENT specialist at the Gangaram Hospital explains, "While keeping track on the monitor, we search for the affected sinus opening that is creating the problem. And once the blocked opening is detected, the balloon is gently inflated to help widen the sinus passage. This lets the blocked mucus – the root of all these problems -- to start flowing out again. And the sinuses get back to their normal functioning."
As the balloon sinuplasty procedure has a success rate of almost 97 per cent, it is recommended as the second stage of treatment after medical treatment has failed. Dr Sharma rues the fact that people, more often than not, let things develop to this state. "They don't take the obvious symptoms like cold, headaches, mucus formations, ear-drum problems seriously. An ENT specialist is consulted only when self-medication and all other treatments fail.
It's important for people to know that any such problems that linger over three months could well have developed into chronic sinusitis."
According to a study by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, chronic sinusitis affects nearly 150 million people in India making it the second largest country of those affected after China.
"People often mistake it for regular cold and cough – not realising that it is considered more debilitating to a person's quality of life than even congestive heart failure and chronic back pain," says Dr Ameet Kishore, senior consultant, ENT, at Apollo Hospitals.
"In fact from what we know, it is perhaps the number one reason of people staying away from work -- although they may not specify it as a reason." T
he study also reveals that patients suffering from chronic sinusitis often complain of poor health, lower workplace productivity and social embarrassment as well as an overall decline in their selfconfidence and quality of life.
The success rate of the balloon sinuplasty procedure is what swung Rajiv Sircar's decision in its favour. "Over the past few years I had been going for different treatments but to no avail. And the situation got worse in the last twothree years," says the 48-year-old educationist who shifted from the US to Agra about 17 years ago.
"Work was getting affected -- there was never an easy moment. And to make matters worse, even in the height of summers, the AC would not agree with me. So when I was offered this treatment by Dr Shalabh Sharma, I said yes," he says.
Now, post this treatment that he "underwent after a lot of research on the net", Sircar is a happy man. "It's proved to be perfect for a heart patient – who was on blood thinners -- like me.
Pollution and exposure to allergens are the primary troublemakers for the sinuses, says Dr Kishore. For the uninitiated, the four pairs of sinuses (frontal, ethmoid, sphenoid, maxillary) that open into the nasal cavity have an important function -- to generate mucus that keeps the nose from drying while breathing and to trap unwanted particles from reaching the lungs.
But should a situation like chronic sinusitis occur, the resultant swelling, as explained earlier, will invariably obstruct their openings and prevent normal mucus drainage, causing mucus and pressure to build up. "That is what results in immense discomfort and the person could end up facial pain, headaches, congestion and nausea," adds Dr Kishore. "Of course the initial cost, upward of Rs 1 lakh (despite it being covered by medical insurance), used to be a huge deterrent. But now the cost of the system has been brought down to about Rs 30-40,000. But what really works in its favour is the fact that it is just a day's procedure, is least invasive and thus involves minimal bleeding.
And yes, also because the recovery rate is much faster", adds Dr Sharma talking about his patient, a 26-year-old who came to him with severe forehead and cheek pain. "His problem came on because the bone adjoining one of the sinuses was lying at a more acute angle than it should, leading to their blocking. Fortunately, balloon sinuplasty helped and he was at work within a couple of days."



		EDITOR'S MAIL MATTERS OF PUBLIC POLICY NIA ACTS LANDMARK VERDICT HISTORIC JUDGEMENT MODINAMA REALPOLITIK ECONOMIC SCENE FRANKLY SPEAKING JAYALALITHAA LEGACY JAYALALITHAA LEGACY CHANDIGARH DIARY AMERICAN DIARY MEDICAL ADVANCEMENT HITS & MISSES CRICKET DIARY BOOK BAZAAR BOOK BAZAAR SIGNS OF THE TIMES MISSING ROAD SENSE YOGA IN DAILY LIFE FILM-MAKING ART OF LIVING Issue:Sep' 2017 Subscribe Now	MEDICAL ADVANCEMENT Balloon sinuplasty Purnima Sharma It was the city's pollution that did her in. "Just going back and forth to the office is what landed me, over a period of time, with an acute sinus problem," says Kuljeet Khurana, 49, working with a semi-government undertaking. "It started with an allergy, nasal congestion, puffy eyes and dry cough that, with time, aggravated so much that neither medicines nor steaming, homeopathy or nasal sprays helped." According to a study by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, chronic sinusitis affects nearly 150 million people in India making it the second largest country of those affected after China. "People often mistake it for regular cold and cough – not realising that it is considered more debilitating to a person's quality of life than even congestive heart failure and chronic back pain," says Dr Ameet Kishore, senior consultant, ENT, at Apollo Hospitals. Sania Nehwal and P.V.Sindhu Even doing normal, everyday chores became increasingly difficult as Kuljeet would have a constant headache and be out of breath all the time. The ENT specialists she contacted diagnosed her condition as 'chronic sinusitis'. Having ruled out surgery because she'd heard her friends and relatives say that the problem invariably comes back, Kuljeet settled for another option – the minimally invasive technique of 'Balloon Sinuplasty' -- that promised relief since it was now a "do-or-die situation" for her. First launched in the US, balloon sinuplasty came to India in 2007. And at the Gangaram Hospital in Delhi, Kuljeet was the first to try it out. And she has no regrets. "My children felt their mother was a changed person – gone was that sickly lady they had become used to. And most importantly, I'd got rid of the hoarse sounds that would emanate from my throat. I'd got my original voice back," she says. Much like angioplasty for the heart, balloon sinuplasty works with a specially designed balloon catheter that is inserted into the nose to reach out into the various sinuses. As Dr Shalabh Sharma, ENT specialist at the Gangaram Hospital explains, "While keeping track on the monitor, we search for the affected sinus opening that is creating the problem. And once the blocked opening is detected, the balloon is gently inflated to help widen the sinus passage. This lets the blocked mucus – the root of all these problems -- to start flowing out again. And the sinuses get back to their normal functioning." As the balloon sinuplasty procedure has a success rate of almost 97 per cent, it is recommended as the second stage of treatment after medical treatment has failed. Dr Sharma rues the fact that people, more often than not, let things develop to this state. "They don't take the obvious symptoms like cold, headaches, mucus formations, ear-drum problems seriously. An ENT specialist is consulted only when self-medication and all other treatments fail. It's important for people to know that any such problems that linger over three months could well have developed into chronic sinusitis." According to a study by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, chronic sinusitis affects nearly 150 million people in India making it the second largest country of those affected after China. "People often mistake it for regular cold and cough – not realising that it is considered more debilitating to a person's quality of life than even congestive heart failure and chronic back pain," says Dr Ameet Kishore, senior consultant, ENT, at Apollo Hospitals. "In fact from what we know, it is perhaps the number one reason of people staying away from work -- although they may not specify it as a reason." T he study also reveals that patients suffering from chronic sinusitis often complain of poor health, lower workplace productivity and social embarrassment as well as an overall decline in their selfconfidence and quality of life. The success rate of the balloon sinuplasty procedure is what swung Rajiv Sircar's decision in its favour. "Over the past few years I had been going for different treatments but to no avail. And the situation got worse in the last twothree years," says the 48-year-old educationist who shifted from the US to Agra about 17 years ago. "Work was getting affected -- there was never an easy moment. And to make matters worse, even in the height of summers, the AC would not agree with me. So when I was offered this treatment by Dr Shalabh Sharma, I said yes," he says. Now, post this treatment that he "underwent after a lot of research on the net", Sircar is a happy man. "It's proved to be perfect for a heart patient – who was on blood thinners -- like me. Pollution and exposure to allergens are the primary troublemakers for the sinuses, says Dr Kishore. For the uninitiated, the four pairs of sinuses (frontal, ethmoid, sphenoid, maxillary) that open into the nasal cavity have an important function -- to generate mucus that keeps the nose from drying while breathing and to trap unwanted particles from reaching the lungs. But should a situation like chronic sinusitis occur, the resultant swelling, as explained earlier, will invariably obstruct their openings and prevent normal mucus drainage, causing mucus and pressure to build up. "That is what results in immense discomfort and the person could end up facial pain, headaches, congestion and nausea," adds Dr Kishore. "Of course the initial cost, upward of Rs 1 lakh (despite it being covered by medical insurance), used to be a huge deterrent. But now the cost of the system has been brought down to about Rs 30-40,000. But what really works in its favour is the fact that it is just a day's procedure, is least invasive and thus involves minimal bleeding. And yes, also because the recovery rate is much faster", adds Dr Sharma talking about his patient, a 26-year-old who came to him with severe forehead and cheek pain. "His problem came on because the bone adjoining one of the sinuses was lying at a more acute angle than it should, leading to their blocking. Fortunately, balloon sinuplasty helped and he was at work within a couple of days."