Nasal Polyps
We Provide Excellent, Personalized Care to Patients
Bella Vista ENT provides nasal polyps treatment in Thousand Oaks, CA. We are dedicated to providing our valued patients with excellent, personalized care. We treat our patients as unique individuals and never as numbers. When you arrive at our state-of-the-art facility for your nasal polyps treatment, you will be greeted by our friendly, compassionate staff members. We strive to ensure that every appointment is as comfortable and pleasant as possible. If you’re looking for a nasal polyps doctor or need nasal polyps surgery, you’ve come to the right place.
What are Nasal Polyps?
Nasal polyps are soft, noncancerous growths of the tissues that line the nose and sinuses. They hang down like teardrops or grapes and are painless. Small nasal polyps may not cause symptoms or need treatment. Larger growths or groups of nasal polyps can block the nasal passages, prevent normal drainage, and lead to breathing problems, loss of smell, and frequent infections. Nasal polyps can affect anyone and are typically the result of chronic inflammation associated with asthma, recurring infection, allergies, drug sensitivity, or certain immune disorders.
What Causes Nasal Polyps?
What causes some people and not others to develop nasal polyps is unclear. Some people develop polyps with no previous nasal problems, but a trigger often leads to polyp formation. Polyp growth can be triggered by chronic sinus and nasal inflammation resulting from asthma, specific allergies, recurring sinus infections, drug sensitivity, and certain immune disorders. The polyps can form at any age but are most common in young and middle-aged adults.
The Signs & Symptoms of Nasal Polyps
Nasal polyps symptoms are often confused for signs of chronic sinusitis. While it’s possible to have chronic sinusitis without nasal polyps, it’s not possible to have nasal polyps without chronic sinusitis. Nasal polyps are directly associated with the irritation and swelling caused by chronic sinusitis. Common signs and symptoms of chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps include:
- A runny nose
- Sneezing or snorting
- Postnasal drip
- Decreased sense of smell
- Persistent stuffiness
- Mouth breathing
- Pressure over your forehead and face
- Facial pain or headache
- Loss of sense of taste
- Itching around your eyes
- Snoring and sleep apnea
How are Nasal Polyps Diagnosed?
Because nasal polyp symptoms are similar to other issues in the nasal and sinus passages, an accurate diagnosis is necessary to know how to proceed. Polyps may be visible using a simple lighted instrument called an otoscope or nasoscope. If they are located deeper in your sinuses, your doctor may need to use nasal endoscopy. A nasal endoscope is a small, thin telescope used to see inside your nose, equipped with a camera and light on the end. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans can also be assets in making the correct diagnosis by showing the size and location of deeper polyps. In some cases, we may also take a small sample of the growth, known as a biopsy. Bella Vista ENT has the state-of-the-art equipment to perform each of these procedures in our office.
Treatment Options for Nasal Polyps
Treatment options for nasal polyps include medications and surgery. Usually, mediations can shrink or eliminate nasal polyps. It’s only if the medicines are unsuccessful that surgery is ever resorted to. The type of surgical procedure depends on the size and location of the polyps determined during your visit to our office. The best way to identify the cause of the problems contributing to your nasal obstruction is to see one or our board-certified specialists to determine why airflow is reduced or completely blocked. Even after successful treatment, nasal polyps sometimes return.
Contact Bella Vista ENT for Nasal Polyps Treatment
If you are suffering from nasal polyps and are seeking treatment, the board-certified specialists at Bella Vista ENT can help. With years of experience diagnosing and treating nasal polyps, you can rest assured you’re in good hands with our professional team. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.