LiveWorld Transcripts

Houston Chronicle presents

Dr. Ron Moses
"Ask The Doctor":Sinus Surgery

August 08, 2000

Ask The Doctor presents Dr. Ron Moses who will discuss health, sinuses, sinusitis, and sinus surgery.

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HoustonChronicle: The purpose of the Ask The Doctor chats are to provide general information and is in no way intended to be construed as medical advice for any visitor's specific disease or condition. The intent is to increase a participant's knowledge about a general disease or condition. For treatment of your specific condition, please see your personal physician. This forum is not intended to be used in emergency situations. If you are uncertain of the urgency of your problem or condition, contact your personal physician or the nearest hospital for assistance. Welcome to Ask the Doctor! HoustonChronicle.com, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital - Houston, and the Talk City Network are proud to present our special guest for today, Dr. Ron Moses of St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital. Welcome, Dr. Ron Moses.

Dr. Ron Moses: Welcome, all participants! My name is Dr. Moses, and I would welcome any questions about sinus surgery.

Aquarelle: What is sinusitis and what causes it?

Dr. Ron Moses: Thank you for the question. Sinusitis is a very broad category, and the subject can vary from minor cases to very severe cases. It can also range from cases where patients complain of a short disease process, and others describe a chronic-type problem. Sinusitis, in its pure definition, is inflammation of the sinus cavities. This can be caused by a number of problems, but the end result is the same--that the sinuses themselves are inflamed. When the sinuses are inflamed, the mucous that normally is clear can easily drain from the sinuses into the nasal passage. When the sinuses become irritated in sinusitis, the mucous is unable to drain from the sinuses, and instead becomes thickened and obstructs the natural drainage from the sinus cavities. This, unfortunately, leads to a bad cycle where once the sinus drainage is obstructed, further infectious processes can ensue in that sinus. It is the goal of the otolaryngologist to treat the common sinus problems and, more importantly, those that may ultimately require sinus surgery.

Confuzzled: What is sinus surgery?

Dr. Ron Moses: Modern-day sinus surgery involves using endoscopes, which are handheld, narrow telescopes that can look in the nose. Utilizing this endoscope, and while the patient is asleep, the narrow sinus passages that drain into the nose can be enlarged, and this allows for easier drainage of the sinus contents and prevents sinus infections. It is the goal of sinus surgery to open up narrow passages, but we cannot change the skin or mucosal lining of the sinuses or nasal passage. Therefore, although people may still suffer from allergies from intermittent infections from various inflammatory states, the openings to the sinuses will still remain wide enough to allow for drainage from the sinuses, preventing sinus infection.

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