Saline Irrigations and Topical Steroids Before and After Endoscopic Sinus Surgery
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Dr. Sepehr Oliaei, MD Department of Otorhinolaryngology Tacoma General Hospital, Tacoma, WA About the author: Dr. Oliaei is a widely published Ear, Nose and Throat surgeon who has recently joined the Multicare Health System in King and Pierce Counties in Washington state. He has a special interest in minimally invasive, balloon assisted nasal and sinus surgery. |
We have come a long way since the old days of nasal and sinus surgery. Modern surgical instruments and techniques allow us to perform incision-less surgery, with minimal risks of complications while achieving better outcomes than ever before. That said, surgery itself is not technically the cure for chronic conditions of the nose and sinuses. Rather, it provides better access to passageways of the nose and the openings of the sinuses such that topical treatments such as saline sprays, irrigations and medicated sprays can be used more effectively. It is prudent to continue to use nasal saline irrigations and topical anti-inflammatory sprays (such as steroid sprays, or antihistamine sprays) up to the day of your surgery as these medications help decrease bleeding and swelling of the tissues, which makes the surgery easier to perform and improves your post-surgical recovery.
Similarly, saline irrigations should begin 1-2 days after the surgery and topical sprays should be restarted after the removal of nasal packings (if any) that were placed during the surgery. With proper care and regular use of topical saline and medications, sinus surgery provides a powerful tool for control of chronic sinunasal conditions.
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