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Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Risks

If you have chronic sinus problems that do not respond to medical therapy, functional endoscopic sinus surgery may be right for you. It's less invasive than more conventional surgical methods and allows your doctor to accurately diagnose the underlying cause. As with any surgery, there are advantages and risks. The serious risks are rare, and the more common risks are treatable and manageable. Discuss all risks and ramifications with your doctor before any kind of surgery.

  1. Facts

    • Breathing trouble, post-nasal drip, and facial and head pain are common symptoms of sinus disease. Functional endoscopic sinus surgery employs instruments inserted through your nose. It seeks to reduce your pain and improve drainage, ventilation and breathing capacity. According to American Family Physician, "The most suitable candidates for this procedure have recurrent acute or chronic infective sinusitis, and an improvement in symptoms of up to 90 percent may be expected following the procedure."

    Significance

    • Functional endoscopic sinus surgery reduces surgical risks. According to the Encyclopedia of Surgery, its advantages over conventional sinus surgery are that it is minimally invasive, does not disturb healthy tissue, takes less time, gets better results, and minimizes bleeding and scarring. Full recovery takes about two months. Still, this method is not risk-free.

    Primary Risks

    • The Encyclopedia of Surgery and surgery.com say the most serious risk is "blindness resulting from damage to the optic nerve." This complication is rare, however. Another serious risk is cerebrospinal fluid leak. This, according to Ear, Nose and Throat Associates of Corpus Christi, Texas, "creates a potential pathway for infection which could result in meningitis." However, this complication occurs in only about 0.2 percent of United States' cases, according to the Encyclopedia of Surgery and surgery.com.

    Secondary Risks

    • Bleeding is the most common risk, although less so with functional endoscopic surgery than with other surgical approaches to sinus disease. Still, if you bleed excessively during surgery, the procedure may be halted and your nasal passages packed. Similar bleeding and packing, and even hospitalization, may occur after surgery. Other risks include tearing of the eye, numbness of the upper lip, and swelling and bruising of the lip and eye area. All of these conditions are temporary, though some may be persistent.

    Considerations

    • Weigh the severity of your sinus problems against the risks and inconveniences of surgery. Be acutely aware that functional endoscopic sinus surgery, while it has a very high success rate, can fail, leaving you no better off or even worse. Discuss all of your options with your doctor. Ask how many of these surgeries he does in a typical year. Make sure you fully understand exactly what the surgery involves, the risks and what your recovery is likely to involve.

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