Are lifestyle changes required?
If the patient is a smoker, it is important to refrain during treatment. A special diet is not required, but drinking extra fluids helps thin mucus. When is surgery necessary? The body develops mucus to act as a lubricant. In the sinus cavities, the lubricant is moved across mucous membrane linings toward the opening of each sinus by millions of cilia (a mobile extension of a cell). Inflammation from an allergy causes membrane swelling and the sinus opening to narrow, thereby blocking mucus movement. If antibiotics are not effective, sinus surgery can correct the problem. What does surgery involve? The basic endoscopic surgical procedure is performed under local or general anaesthesia. The patient returns to normal within four days; full recovery takes about four weeks. What does sinus surgery accomplish? The surgery should enlarge the natural opening to the sinuses, leaving as many cilia in place as possible. Endoscopic surgery is highly effective in restoring normal functioning to th
