When Do You Need Frontal Sinus Surgery?

Jul 28, 2022

The frontal sinuses are air-filled cavities behind our brow ridges that can help our skulls feel light. When the frontal sinuses grow inflamed or have abnormal tissue growths that cause blockages, they can cause breathing complications and increased pressure around your eyes and forehead.

 

If you have frontal sinusitis, your doctor will prescribe various non-invasive treatment options to help reduce your symptoms. When these treatments grow ineffective or do not provide lasting relief, surgery becomes the only way to treat the condition.


This article highlights what frontal sinus surgery is and the potential circumstances in which you might need one. Give it a read if you’d like to know more. 


What Is Frontal Sinus Surgery?

Frontal sinus surgery is an endoscopic surgery aiming to eradicate any blockages in your sinuses while ensuring that no structural damage occurs to your frontal sinuses. Your surgeon also aims to ensure minimal or no cosmetic deformity during the procedure. Talk to a trusted healthcare professional in detail about the benefits of this surgery and make an informed decision for your long-term health.


Why Do You Need Frontal Sinus Surgery?

When medications, therapies, and other non-invasive treatments for frontal sinusitis have grown ineffective, a doctor would recommend frontal sinus surgery. You might need to undergo this surgery when you suffer from the following conditions:


Acute or Chronic Sinusitis

Acute sinusitis leads to breathing difficulties and disrupts mucus drainage as your sinuses are inflamed and swollen. It’s usually caused by the common cold, and your symptoms will fade or grow easier to manage over time.

 

However, if your sinuses remain inflamed and swollen for over three months, despite undergoing non-invasive treatments, it could indicate that you have chronic sinusitis. In such cases, you may have to undergo frontal sinus surgery to clear your sinuses and remove any abnormal growths that could be blocking them.


Blockage of the Frontal Sinus Drainage Passages

When the drainage passages are blocked for any reason, be it scarring from a previous sinus surgery or infection, frontal sinus surgery can help to clear the blockage in question.


Frontal Sinus Polyps

A blockage of the drainage passages can be addressed with frontal sinus surgery, but so too can a blockage of the frontal sinus pathways also. An example of how this can happen is when frontal sinus polyps obstruct the pathways, and then need to be removed with frontal sinus pathways so as to allow them to no longer be obstructed.

 

 If you’ve been considering undergoing frontal sinus surgery to treat your symptoms and want to discuss it with an expert, contact Dr. Eric F. Succar, MD. Dr. Succar is a board-certified otolaryngologist (ENT) who practices adult and pediatric ENT specializing in complex sinus, nasal, and skull base disorders. You can visit his clinic in Waterford, MI (Oakland County), and he also treats patients from Bloomfield Hills, Clarkston, Pontiac, and Troy, MI. You can reach him at (248) 254-8900 or contact him online.



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