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Houston Sinus Surgery is dedicated to helping our patients breathe deeply and live fully – free from sinusitis symptoms and nasal obstruction. If you are muddling through with sinus problems including sinus pressure, pain, and headaches, schedule an appointment today. Houston-based ENT doctor and top functional endoscopic sinus (FESS) surgeon, Cecil Yeung, M.D., has more than 20 years of experience in diagnosing and treating the underlying causes of chronic sinusitis. Dr. Yeung is known for his meticulous surgical techniques, precision, and high success rate.

What is functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS)?

Functional endoscopic sinus surgery, commonly referred to as the FESS procedure, is defined as surgery of the sinus through the vision of an endoscope. FESS sinus surgery is a treatment for patients with sinus problems who have not responded well to medications and conservative therapies. It is one of the most effective ways to treat a condition called chronic sinusitis – long-term inflammation of the sinuses. In addition, endoscopic sinus surgery can be used to fix other structural abnormalities within the nose. The goal of FESS is to remove any tissue preventing normal drainage through the sinuses, effectively opening up the passages for long-term relief.

Why Choose Houston Sinus Surgery for your Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery?

  • Dr. Cecil Yeung introduced functional endoscopic sinus surgery to Houston over 15 years ago
  • He has performed over 4,000 sinus surgeries with exceptional results
  • His surgery redo rate is 0-1%, well under the national average of 30%
  • He has expertise in both first time surgeries and complicated revision sinus surgeries
  • Patients achieve long-lasting symptom relief
  • Patients get back to normal activities faster (within 7-10 days)

Who is a good candidate for functional endoscopic sinus surgery?

People who have chronic sinusitis that has not responded well to medications are good candidates for this procedure. Chronic sinusitis is defined as a sinus infection that lasts for more than 12 weeks.

Additionally, you could be considered a good candidate for FESS if you have:

What does a functional endoscopic sinus surgery involve?

FESS sinus surgery can be performed on an outpatient basis at our state-of-the-art surgery center, ensuring maximum patient comfort, convenience, and privacy. Depending on your needs, Dr. Yeung can administer general and local anesthesia for the procedure.

The procedure involves inserting an endoscope (a tiny camera attached to a tube) through the nostrils and up through the nasal passages in order to examine the sinus openings and any problem areas up-close with great detail. Next, specialized medical instruments will be inserted through the nostrils to carefully and precisely remove or correct any tissue or bony structures that are causing obstruction. After proper healing, the sinus openings will be enlarged and free from blockage, effectively restoring sinus drainage.

Because of the precision and detail afforded by the endoscope, less tissue is removed and there is less bleeding. As a result, patients can expect minimal swelling and less post-operative discomfort. Most patients can return home the same day as surgery and resume normal activities within 7-10 days. You may experience temporary stuffiness for a week or so after surgery. Once healed, most patients notice a significant improvement in breathing function and relief from symptoms related to sinusitis and nasal obstruction.

Turbinate Reduction

During the FESS procedure, other procedures that previously may have been performed separately can also be completed. One is called a turbinate reduction. There are three turbinates on each side of the nose, and their job is to clean and humidify the air as it moves through your nose into your lungs. For patients with enlarged turbinates, FESS can correct the problem by reducing the turbinates’ size, thereby decreasing airway resistance while still preserving the natural function of the turbinates. This procedure alone is called turbinate reduction surgery.

Polypectomy

Another surgical procedure that can be accomplished during FESS is called a polypectomy, which involves the removal of nasal polyps. Nasal polyps may be present in patients who have constant inflammation of the sinuses and/or nasal passages, which is why they can often occur in conjunction with chronic sinusitis. In the process of performing FESS with a polypectomy, nasal polyps along the nasal passages and sinus openings are removed, helping to improve airflow and preventing obstruction of the sinus openings.

What are the benefits of functional endoscopic sinus surgery?

Before FESS, sinus surgery was a very invasive undertaking, reserved only for the most severe cases of sinusitis. In those days, invasive surgery was risky, quite a bit of tissue was removed, and the results were unpredictable.

Today, with functional endoscopic sinus surgery, the procedure is reasonably risk-free and simple, offering numerous benefits which include:

  • Minimally invasive procedure
  • Effective, long-lasting results
  • Minimal post-operative discomfort
  • Less downtime and quicker recovery
  • No external scarring
  • Less removal of tissue
  • Less bleeding
  • Less pain
  • Low risk of complications

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