All clear Lake ENT will have you breathing easy in no time!

Before, sinus relief meant facing invasive surgery that required a hospital stay, a week of downtime, and extreme discomfort. Now, those with sinus issues can breathe easy as the professionals at Lake Ear, Nose, Throat & Facial Plastic Surgery offer what has been dubbed a breakthrough in endoscopic sinus surgery: balloon sinuplasty.

“Sinus problems affect a lot of people, and while most people can manage them with decongestants or antibiotics, there are a number of people who don’t receive any relief with medications,” says Dr. Michael Freedman, who is boardcertified in otolaryngology, has been with Lake ENT & FPS for more than three years, and has been an ENT physician for 19 years. “Therefore, for the past five years, we have been offering our patients balloon sinuplasty to help alleviate symptoms without resorting to traditional sinus surgery methods.”

During a balloon sinuplasty, a small balloon catheter is inserted into the sinus and inflated to open up blocked sinus passageways. Unlike conventional sinus surgery, there is no cutting or tissue removal, eliminating the need for packing or concerns about complications and bleeding. Balloon sinuplasty can be performed in-office without the need for general anesthesia, a visit to the operating room, and costly hospital bills. In addition, there is no downtime, so patients can immediately resume their normal activities, and most health insurance companies pay for the procedure.

“During the five years we have done this, we have had a 90 percent success rate in terms of symptom relief and scans that show the sinuses are staying open after the procedure,” says Dr. Freedman. “The results are amazing, and patients are happy about how convenient and easy this procedure is.”

When it comes to those who respond well to balloon sinuplasty, Dr. Freedman says it’s usually individuals who have mild sinus issues. “Many times when someone has a sinus-related complaint, a CT scan may only show a mild infection; therefore, their doctor may say everything is normal or there’s no problem,” he says. “Only when the sinuses are completely filled with infection or polyps is when a patient is finally referred to an ENT. However, those who really do well with balloon sinuplasty are those with minor problems who shouldn’t have to undergo invasive surgery.”

By offering this medical breakthrough, Dr. Freedman and his colleagues, Drs. S. Dwight Vaught and Judith asy in no time! the option of relief to sinus sufstuffiness, and

Milstead, who also perform this procedure, are able to give the option of relief to sinus sufferers living with sore throats, stuffiness, and drainage.

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“I am personally excited to be able to offer something like this to our patients. I’m also proud Lake ENT & FPS is the only practice in Lake County offering this amazing technology,” Dr. Freedman says. “There is a lot of value in this procedure on both sides of the coin, and as always, we are happy to be able to use minimally invasive, safe, and effective methods whenever we can because that is what we’re all about.”