Nasal airway obstruction and their causes
Here in the United States and nasal airway obstruction is not uncommon for many people. The problem is temporary, while for others it is chronic. A nasal airway obstruction can be caused by a number of anatomic and non-anatomic reasons.
Deviated septum
Having a deviated septum includes having one nostril that is stronger than the other. The weaker nostril can be caused by numerous factors including a fracture, trauma, drug use, or a congenital disorder. This can lead to dramatic breathing problems and gives you a predisposition to the problem of sinusitis. Dr. Azizzadeh and his team can fix this condition via nasal airway surgery.
Turbinate hypertrophy
The enlargement of your turbinates also called turbinates hypertrophy will obstruct your nasal cavity too. For those that are experiencing enlarged turbinates, they may want to experiment with a nasal irrigation via salt water or other over-the-counter sprays to see if your turbinates respond favorably and shrink. If the turbinates do not shrink then surgery can be considered as a way to permanently shrink the tissue.
Many people may have inflammation and swelling due to sinus and allergy problems. Sinus and allergy problems will cause your nasal linings to swell which will lead to poor airflow and blockage in your nose. Obviously these sinus and allergy problems will give you nasal congestion. But some of the other hindrances that can come from these complications can be sinusitis or allergic rhinitis and you may experience recurring sinus infections, a lot of sneezing and a bit of nasal drainage, which only adds to the nasal obstruction of airway problems.
Nasal polyps
Nasal polyps are small growths that appear in your nasal lining plugging your nose and making it difficult to breathe. Although nasal polyps are non-cancerous they typically occur in people with allergic rhinitis and can be a key factor contributing to your sinus condition.
Nasal tissue enlargement
In the back of our nose, we have our adenoid tissue, which will typically shrink during our teenage years. If this adenoid tissue does not shrink, it can be a chronic cause of sinus infections and obstruct our airways. These adenoids can sometimes be a warning sign potential tumor as well.
Foreign bodies
Sometimes we may be exercising or even just sitting on the couch watching TV, and a foreign body can obstruct our nasal airway. We have seen everything from beads, buttons, different types of nuts, pieces of candy, and pieces of popcorn become stuck in our nasal airway and obstruct our breathing.
Medications
A lot of the over-the-counter nasal congestion sprays can contribute to sinus and nasal problems, if they are used for long periods of time or if more of the product is used than is necessary. By using these over-the-counter products for long periods of times, they can actually harm us, more than they can help us. With time, nasal decongestants can cause our nasal passage ways to swell to even larger sizes than they were before. Some hormones and birth-control medication can also swell the lining of your nasal passage and promote airway obstruction. We have seen the same thing happen with some blood pressure related medications, which can also have the same effect.
The treatment of nasal airway obstruction and their surgical procedures are a common problem we see at the Institute for rhinoplasty and nasal reconstruction. Many times our patients will not need surgery but we will carefully assess and diagnose your nasal airway problem and if needed, treat it properly.
Anti-Inflammatory Nasal Sprays
In a large number of cases, patients can be treated without surgery. The need to improve your airflow with anti-inflammatory nasal sprays can be one solution. These nasal sprays are constructed of corticosteroids in which act like the naturally found substance cortisol in our body. Corticosteroids are excellent in reducing congestion and swelling, and may open up your nasal airways by constricting your blood vessels. For those patients that have many years of using anti-inflammatory nasal sprays, many times you will find immediate relief from your allergy and sinus symptoms. If improvements are not noticed immediately, we encourage our patients to continue using the medication and to not give up. Many times you will notice improvement as much as a week later.
Septoplasty
A septoplasty is a nasal airway surgery that Dr. Azizzadeh employs to correct your deviated septum and improve your airflow.
Dr. Azizzadeh and would an endoscope during the procedure to view the size and shape of your septum. Next Dr. Azizzadeh, may create a very small hidden incisions within your nose. The mucosal lining of the septum will be detached, and the crooked septum cartilage and bone will then be straightened by Dr. Azizzadeh. After performing the Septoplasty sutures and possibly soft nose splints will be used during your healing period. Typically Dr. Azizzadeh can perform these procedures in 30 minutes, and it is very effective. If you would like more information on the septoplasty procedure, please contact Dr. is today by clicking here.
Turbinate Reduction Treatments
At The Institute for Rhinoplasty and Nasal Reconstruction a turbinate reduction surgery decreases the thickness and size of the mucous membranes that surround them. This will correct your obstructions in the nasal passage.
Here at The Institute for Rhinoplasty and Nasal Reconstruction we offer three different types of turbinate reduction treatments.
- Submucous resection
- Turbinectomy
- Radiofrequency Reduction
Each one of these different types of treatments will have benefits and cons depending on what your individual needs are. We encourage you to contact us to find out which treatment option may be right for you.
Submucous resection
Submucous resection also called a SMR, is a nasal airway surgery that will correct the enlarged turbinate and the obstructions that they cause. Dr. Azizzadeh makes a small incision on the mucousal lining and removes the excess bone and tissue that is under the surface.
Radiofrequency Reduction
Dr. Azizzadeh employs a new state-of-the-art non-surgical approach to reduce the size of your turbinates called temperature controlled radiofrequency reduction.
This is a fairly new procedure that utilizes small electrodes that are placed in the nasal passageway which heat and shrink your turbinate issue. One of the benefits of radiofrequency reduction is a shorter recovery time than submucous resection.
Turbinectomy
Turbinectomy is another treatment option for airway obstruction, Turbinectomy surgery removes large pieces of tissue from the enlarged turbinate to rid you of nasal airway obstruction. When done correctly as done at The Institute for Rhinoplasty and Nasal Reconstruction, this is a very effective treatment.
More Complex Procedures
Sometimes our patients need more complex treatment and surgery options, and The Institute for Rhinoplasty and Nasal Reconstruction is here to help. One such treatment that is more complex is external valve reconstruction.
External valve reconstruction and will reinforce and reshape the cartilage on the side of your nose. This is especially important if you have had a rhinoplasty procedure in the past, which included removing parts of your cartilage. T Cartiliage may now be weak and is problematic to maintaining your nostril opening.
Maxillary recontouring may be implemented when the anatomy of the nasal aperture is narrow, and thus obstructs your breathing. Dr. Azizzadeh prides himself on revision surgeries that improve not only the patients features but bodily functions as well.
