Does sinusitis require surgery?

Written by Deng Bang Yu
Otolaryngology
Updated on September 13, 2024
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Sinusitis refers to inflammation of the sinus, clinically mainly bacterial inflammation, as well as fungal inflammation. Whether sinusitis requires surgery depends on the specific condition of the patient. Endoscopic examination of the nose and sinus CT scans can be carried out to assess the condition of the sinus lesions. If there is a lot of sinus secretion and the sinus cavity is congested, and there is polypoid changes in the overall nasal passage, surgical treatment may be considered. For the vast majority of sinusitis patients, the current viewpoint is that treatment is mainly through medication, and only a small part needs surgical treatment after assessment. Therefore, sinusitis does not necessarily require surgery. Start with medication treatment; if the effect is not good, or there are other concurrent issues, consider surgical treatment after assessment.

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Written by Zhang Jun
Otolaryngology
1min 19sec home-news-image

What medicine is good for sinusitis?

Sinusitis is mainly caused by acute inflammatory infections, such as Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes. When a patient's immunity and resistance are low, these bacteria can invade the sinuses through the sinus openings, leading to congestion, swelling, proliferation, and exudation of the sinus mucosa. Patients will experience persistent nasal congestion and discharge of yellow purulent secretions from the nasal cavity. Additionally, patients may also experience fever, facial swelling and pain, headaches, dry mouth, coughing, and other related symptoms. Upon examination, bilateral nasal turbinate mucosal congestion and swelling can be found, and yellow secretions may be seen adhering in the middle nasal meatus or common nasal passage. In terms of treatment, as it is a bacterial infection, patients firstly need symptomatic anti-inflammatory treatment. Oral cephalosporin antibiotics are effective. Moreover, using saline to rinse the nasal cavity also provides very good results. If necessary, patients may require endoscopic sinus surgery for recovery. (Please use medication under the guidance of a professional physician.)

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Written by Deng Bang Yu
Otolaryngology
55sec home-news-image

How to treat sinusitis?

In clinical practice, the treatment for sinusitis depends on the patient's symptoms, whether it is acute or chronic sinusitis, and whether there are any complications associated with acute sinusitis. Generally, for sinusitis, the main treatment involves the local use of nasal corticosteroids sprays such as mometasone furoate. Additionally, oral anti-inflammatory drugs are used, mainly macrolide antibiotics such as erythromycin and clarithromycin. Some Chinese patent medicines that open orifices aromatically can also be used, such as Bi Tong Jing Granules and Dan Xiang Bi Yan Tablets, to provide auxiliary treatment. Of course, a CT scan of the sinuses can also be performed to assess the extent of the lesion and determine if the problem can be resolved through surgery. (Please use medications under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Deng Bang Yu
Otolaryngology
59sec home-news-image

Can sinusitis turn into cancer?

Sinusitis, commonly referred to as sinus inflammation, mainly involves the mucosal membrane of the sinus cavity or the sinus itself. In the clinical course of the disease, we have not observed sinusitis or secondary sinusitis directly transforming into a malignant tumor, nor have we seen or observed the carcinogenic process. Clinically or pathologically, there is no evidence of this. However, we have observed malignant tumors of the sinuses, such as maxillary sinus cancer or ethmoid sinus cancer. It is found that 80% to 85% of these patients have sinus inflammation. Therefore, we speculate that sinusitis may be evolving into sinus cancer, or inflammation may play a role in the process of sinus cancer. In summary, there is no direct evidence that secondary sinusitis leads to cancer, but in diagnosing sinus cancer, the presence of sinus inflammation has been observed.

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Written by Deng Bang Yu
Otolaryngology
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What is the method for examining sinusitis?

Sinusitis refers to the inflammation that occurs in the mucous membrane or cavity of the sinuses. Clinically, the examination of sinusitis includes two aspects: one is the clinical examination, such as anterior rhinoscopy to inspect the nasal cavity, nasal endoscopy to inspect the nasal cavity, the opening of the sinuses, and the nasal passages; on the other hand, some imaging examinations can also be used, such as sinus CT examination, which is very important, and if necessary, sinus MRI can also be performed; there are also some other examination methods, such as nasal resistance examination, examination of sinus and nasal secretions, etc. Therefore, there are quite a few examination methods, among all the examination methods, the most important are the nasal endoscopy and sinus CT examination.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
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Is sinusitis contagious?

Sinusitis is not a contagious disease and does not have definite transmissibility, as sinusitis is mainly due to acute or chronic bacterial infections. A small portion of patients suffer from fungal sinusitis caused by fungal infections. Generally speaking, sinusitis is an inflammatory response and is not contagious, so it does not qualify as a communicable disease. In terms of treatment, conservative drug treatment is the primary approach, with oral medications and nasal sprays being the first choice, along with the use of saline or separated seawater for irrigation. Generally, conditions can be effectively controlled with medication. For cases of fungal infection, or chronic sinusitis where conservative drug treatment is ineffective, it may be advisable to consider endoscopic sinus surgery, which generally involves minimally invasive procedures with relatively minimal trauma and good outcomes.