Blocked nasal airway passages force you to breathe through your mouth, making simple, everyday activities such as eating, speaking, and sleeping more difficult. Decongestants, and anti-histamines offer only temporary relief. Sinus washout and turbinate Coblation is performed as a day case.

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What happens during antral washout?

Antral washout is performed under general anaesthetic. The bone between your sinus and the inside of your nose is very thin. Dr Vermaak will pass a very fine metal tube into your nose through this thin bone. The sinus will be flushed with sterile saline solution to get rid of any infection and open the drain hole.  A sample of the flushed solution is sent to the lab for analysis. The metal tube is removed. Since the inside of your nose heals very quickly there is no need for stitches.

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What Is Coblation?

Coblation is an advanced technology designed to quickly remove and shrink soft tissue inside the nasal turbinates using a specially designed plasma Wand and saline to alleviate nasal obstruction in patients. Coblation technology does not rely on a heat-driven process to remove target tissue and is designed to preserve surrounding healthy tissue. With Coblation, soft tissue is removed and shrunk inside your nose with a specially designed device that is gently inserted just below the surface of your enlarged nasal turbinates.

 

After the Procedure

You may experience a notable improvement in your nasal airway obstruction. As the turbinates continue to shrink over time, your ability to breathe should improve. Turbinate size can vary among patients

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Going home:

Please arrange for someone to drive you home when you are discharged.

Any pain or discomfort can be controlled by taking over the counter pain relief such as paracetamol. Be sure you take any antibiotics and use any nasal sprays as prescribed.

Avoid blowing your nose for the first 48 hours after your washout. Avoid any strenuous activity for at least 2 days as there is a risk of nose bleed. You can resume sports such as swimming or diving in about 2 weeks.

Most people recover well from antral washout. As with any procedures there may be complications.

 

Complications may include

• Pain,

• Bleeding

• Infection

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Additional information PowerPoint:

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Sinus Wash Powerpoint Presentation.pptx

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