NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — People with allergies or asthma may be at risk for developing nasal polyps: tiny, grape-like sacs that block nasal passages, making it tough for a person to smell or taste. Now a new procedure restores the senses by getting rid of non-cancerous polyps, no surgery needed. Nasal Congestion
For Monteverde at Oldstone Executive Chef Eric Korn, cooking is serious business.
Korn said, “I’m touching, cutting, tasting everything that goes through that kitchen.”
But the job he loved was almost wrecked by chronic sinus infections. Three years ago …
“I woke up one day and it was gone. Couldn’t smell anything,” Korn shared.
Without the sense of smell, Korn also lost the ability to taste the foods he was in charge of preparing.
“Worried about my career. Short term you can figure something out. Long term, that’s a disaster,” Korn told Ivanhoe.
Ear, nose and throat surgeon Michael Bergstein, MD at ENT and Allergy Associates diagnosed Korn with nasal polyps and removed them surgically. Within a few months, they came back.
Korn said, “Dr. Bergstein called me one day and said, “Hey I have this idea, it’s new. Wanna try it?’”
Using a small deployment system, Dr. Bergstein guided a tiny web-like implant called Sinuva into Korn’s sinus cavity. Once in place, Korn wasn’t able to feel it. The implant is designed to release an anti-inflammatory medicine for 90 days.
“Over the course of the three months, the polyps melt away,” Dr. Bergstein said.
Two weeks after the procedure, Korn woke up and could smell again. He says his sense of smell and taste are now back to normal.
Korn said, “It was a really easy procedure that turned my life around.”
Keeping his kitchen and career on track.
The Sinuva implant took just ten minutes under a topical anesthesia in Dr. Bergstein office. Eric Korn said it was less uncomfortable than having a root canal. Sinuva is FDA-approved and is covered by most insurance.
Contributors to this news report include: Cyndy McGrath, Field Producer; Roque Correa, Editor; and Kirk Manson, Videographer.
Free weekly e-mail on Medical Breakthroughs from Ivanhoe. To sign up: http://www.ivanhoe.com/ftk
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: SINUVA MELTS AWAY NASAL CONGESTION
REPORT: MB #4649
BACKGROUND: Nasal polyps are soft, painless, noncancerous growths on the lining of the nasal passages or sinuses. They hang down like teardrops or grapes. They result from chronic inflammation and are associated with asthma, recurring infection, allergies, drug sensitivity or certain immune disorders. Small nasal polyps may not cause symptoms. Larger growths or groups of nasal polyps can block the nasal passages or lead to breathing problems, a lost sense of smell and frequent infections.
(Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nasal-polyps/symptoms-causes/syc-20351888)
TREATMENT: The standard procedure to remove nasal polyps is Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS). The surgeon will insert a small tube with a tiny camera into the nostrils and guide it into the sinus cavities and the polyps will be removed. During the operation, the surgeon may also remove the disease in additional key areas in order to restore adequate aeration and drainage of the sinuses. Endoscopic surgery is usually performed as an outpatient procedure. Note that even after surgical removal of the nasal polyps, the inflammation may still remain. Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps is a chronic disease. This condition will need constant treatment with corticosteroids to prevent worsening of the symptoms. Unfortunately, in some cases, even the nasal sprays with corticosteroids are not strong enough to suppress the polyp growth.
(Source: https://www.euforea.eu/patient-platform/nasal-polyps)
NEW TECHNOLOGY: Intersect ENT has announced that Sinuva Sinus Implant is now available for patients over 18 years of age to treat nasal polyp disease in those who have had previous ethmoid sinus surgery. The corticosteroid-eluting implant was approved last November by the Food and Drug Administration based on data from clinical studies of 400 patients, including the RESOLVE II study. Sinuva can be implanted during a routine physician visit under local or topical anesthesia. Once implanted, Sinuva expands into the sinus cavity and delivers the steroid directly to the site of polyp disease for 90 days. Sinuva is made from bioabsorbable polymers designed to soften over time; as the implant softens and the polyps decrease, the implant may be expelled out of the nose via forceful nose blowing. The implant can also be removed earlier than 90 days at a physician’s discretion; however repeat administration of Sinuva has not been investigated.
(Source: https://www.empr.com/home/news/sinuva-sinus-implant-launched-to-treat-recurrent-nasal-polyps/)
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Nicole Osmer
650-454-0504
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com
