If I have any further questions about the procedure who should I contact?

Ward: Contact tel: Consultants: ENT 0161 7462100 Mr El Kholy/ Mrs Bieger-Farhan

Please make sure you understand your condition and the proposed treatment prior to signing the consent form. Ask for clarification if any point is not clear in your mind.

ENT DEPARTMENT

Endoscopic Nasal Polypectomy

Further information about Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust is available at www.trafford.nhs.uk Date leaflet produced: Review date: Version no: Author: 01.02.2008 01.02.2010 2 A.K. Bieger-Farhan Consultant ENT Surgeon

Patient Information Leaflet

Written and edited by A.K.Bieger- Farhan

What is an Endoscopic Nasal Polypectomy? Nasal Polyps are not growths. They are swellings of the lining of sinuses. In particular the lining of the honeycomb labyrinth of the sinus cells between your eyes gets very swollen. It presents as waterbags or polyps in your nose. Polyps are caused by inflammation. Endoscopic Polypectomy means removal of the nasal polyps with the help of a telescope. Why do I need an Endoscopic Nasal Polypectomy? You need the procedure to unblock your nose. What does an Endoscopic Nasal Polypectomy involve? You will have a general anaesthetic. We use a telescope to look inside your nose. We either grasp the polyps and strip them off or more commonly we use a special sucker with a rotating blade inside to remove the polyps. The instrument sucks the polyp inside and then removes it. This instrument is called a debrider. Often an endoscopic Nasal Polypectomy is combined with sinus surgery (see leaflet on Endoscopic Sinus surgery). Sometimes it is combined with a Septoplasty (see leaflet Septoplasty). You may need a nasal pack to stop any bleeding at the end of the procedure. What are the benefits of having an Endoscopic Polypectomy? You will be able to breath through your nose again. Nasal

you do not start blowing your nose until you have been given the all clear by your surgeon. If you have a poor sense of smell, we cannot give you any guarantee that your sense of smell will improve. Rarely surgery can worsen the sense of smell. Polyps can recur, in some people sooner than in others. We can remove them again if needed. The sinuses are very close to the thin bone at the base of the brain. All operations on the sinuses carry a small risk of leakage of fluid from the space around the brain. Should this rare complication occur, it would mean that your hospitalisation would be prolonged until the leak has stopped. In rare cases it is necessary to perform another operation in order to seal-off the site of the leak. The sinuses are very close to the wall of the eye. There have been reports of damage to the eye caused by bleeding into the eye socket but this remains a very rare risk. Most eye complications have involved some minor bruising around the eye but there have been cases described where loss of vision has occurred. The chances of this occurring are extremely small. What are the discomforts of the procedure? It wont hurt much. You might have a blocked and runny nose for some weeks. If you had your nose packed, you will feel discomfort from the pack. Are there any alternatives to having the procedure? We usually give you steroid tablets, drops or sprays before the procedure. Steroids make polyps shrink. However if they have not helped you, then we only can remove them by surgery. What will the consequences of not having the procedure be? Without the operation your nose will stay much the same.

What are the risks of the procedure? It is very common for small amounts of bleeding from the nose to occur after nasal polyp surgery. You may need a nasal pack. Only in extremely rare circumstances is blood transfusion required. After the operation some blood stained mucus may discharge from the nose. This may last for some weeks. It is important that