Dr. David Gossman is an ear, nose, & throat physician & sinus surgeon with BayCare Clinic. He joined us on Wisconsin Tonight to talk about PROPEL, a dissolvable stent for chronic sinusitis.
Sinusitis is a common problem affecting 1 in 8 adults annually. Symptoms generally include nasal congestion, discolored nasal drainage, and facial pressure.
Chronic sinusitis is similar but patients with this disorder have symptoms that tend to be more severe and of much longer duration, typically months. In these cases, inflammation in the nose and sinuses is major component of the disease process.
Surgical intervention is an option for patients with chronic sinusitis who do not respond to medical therapy. Surgery is designed to alleviate blockage of the sinus drainage pathways and remove inflammatory tissue that causing impairment of normal sinus function.
PROPEL is a dissolvable drug eluting stent that is placed at the end of the surgical procedure. These stents are a new category of products that offer controlled drug delivery directly to the sinus tissue. This results in reduced inflammation during the healing process and provides structural support while dissolving. We’ve been using this technology for several years with favorable results so far.
This another tool to control the inflammation we encounter in many patients with chronic sinusitis. The benefit is long term delivery of medication directly to the site of inflammation.
Traditional therapies require the patients to take medicine or nasal sprays daily. While these are still important, the implants provide a slow, consistent delivery of medication over several weeks without any inconvenience to the patient and enabling us to avoid some of the side effects that can come with oral medications.
Ultimately our goal is delivering lasting results from our surgical intervention and this helps us achieve that.
For information, visit baycare.net or call BayCare Clinic Ear, Nose & Throat at 866-431-7431.
