Q. Mr. Anwar, we heard talk about the use of balloon in your surgical practice, can you explain its uses in your practice?
A. Indeed. We provide a novel therapeutic technology to ear and nose patients that revolutionised the management of frontal sinus disease and eustachian tube dysfunction respectively. These procedures are referred to as Balloon Sinus Dilatation and Balloon Eustachian Tuboplasty.
Recurrent frontal sinus disease can be caused by a damage to the drainage pathway of the frontal sinus (the air pocket within the bone of the forehead) during a routine Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS) that subsequently causes scarring and further stenosis of the sinus opening (ostia). Balloon frontal sinuplasty offers a minimally invasive and less damaging procedure which causes less scarring and future stenosis of the frontal sinus ostia. It also reduced the rate of recurrence and the need to subsequent surgeries.
Eustachian Tube Dysfunction (ETD) in adults are often caused by frequent air-travels, post-viral upper respiratory tract infection and chronic rhinosinusitis. They are often transient and might be managed successfully with a long-term topical nasal steroid. Short-term ventilation tube insertion (grommets) are another way of dealing with ETD when topical medical treatment alone fails. Balloon Tuboplasty offers a minimally invasive procedure with several positive studies supporting its effective use in ETD as a one-off alternative to ventilation tube insertion. It works by inserting a balloon via the nose into the eustachian tube orifice and dilating the cartilaginous tube.
