New sinus program dedicated to sinus and nasal diseases
A new sinus program dedicated to providing comprehensive, evidence based care to patients with sinus and nasal diseases is now open at Village Pointe and at the new Lauritzen Outpatient Surgery Center at 40th and Leavenworth Streets.
“Our goal is to provide cutting-edge, quality patient care in a more convenient and streamlined way so that patients can be seen sooner and will require fewer visits for evaluation,” says Christie Barnes, MD, otolaryngologist at Nebraska Medicine. Clinic appointments are available Monday through Friday and accommodations can be made to see patients within 24 to 48 hours for those who need more urgent evaluation.
Before a patient comes to the clinic, a pre-clinical phone evaluation is completed. If labs or imaging are recommended, these will be scheduled and completed before their clinic visit with Dr. Barnes or otolaryngologists Dwight Jones, MD, and Samuel Pate, MD. The clinic will also be staffed by dedicated nurses and physician assistants with experience and expertise in sinus issues.
Candidates for the program include patients with polyps, previous sinus surgery, significant problems with nasal breathing, recurrent or chronic sinus infections, recurrent nosebleeds and allergies.
The program specializes in endoscopically- performed procedures such as sinus surgery, septoplasty, turbinate reduction, balloon sinuplasty, placement of drug-eluting stents as well as endoscopic skull-based surgeries for pituitary tumors, nasal masses and benign and malignant tumors. Dr. Barnes is one of two fellowship-trained otolaryngologists who specializes in rhinology and endoscopic base-of skull surgery.
The program recently added a new procedure called balloon eustachian tube dilation, a minimally invasive procedure for treating chronic eustachian tube dysfunction. The procedure has shown to be more effective than traditional medical management methods like nasal spray, nasal decongestants, and in some cases, ear tubes. “This is a common problem among people who have had respiratory infections that don’t resolve and people with allergies,” says Dr. Barnes. “The procedure isn’t new, but the device is.”
The procedure involves using a catheter to insert a small balloon through the patient’s nose and into the eustachian tube. The balloon is then inflated, which opens up a pathway for mucus and air to flow to help restore proper function. Once the eustachian tube is dilated, the balloon is then deflated and removed. Clinical studies show that more than 50 percent of patients had positive results compared to just 14 percent of patients who were treated with conventional medical management using nasal spray.
“We are dedicated to providing quality, evidence-based care and cutting edge technologies,” says Dr. Barnes. “We use advanced sinus navigation allowing us to perform the safest, most accurate and effective procedures,” says Dr. Barnes. “This, coupled with the most up-to-date medical therapies, helps us improve our patient’s lives.”
The Sinus Program specialists also provide monthly multidisciplinary clinics for patients with complicated sinus issues such as cystic fibrosis and aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease. Sinus Program specialists work closely with Nebraska Medicine’s Cystic Fibrosis Clinic and pulmonary and allergy specialists to provide multi-disciplinary consultation and assist with medical management of these patients.
The program is one of a few clinics in the area that offers a smell clinic to diagnose and treat patients with smell disturbances. Standardized testing and treatment is offered for these patients.
“Our goal is to provide patients with convenient and comprehensive care with fewer appointments and a more complete personalized experience,” says Dr. Barnes.
