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Respiratory Disorders (Expert Forum)
Sinus Pollyps ? Please help.
Answered by
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Sinus Pollyps ? Please help.
by John12879, Aug 26, 2004 12:00AM
Today my girlfriend went to a new doctor for the new insuracene for her new job. He informed her that she had Pollyps in her nose, which explains all of her sinus problems over the last few years, which we had thought was a side affect of her addiction to nasal spray. She, upon hearing Pollyps, was immediatly nervous, fearing cancer. But the Doctor told her that the pollyps were not cancerous, and that he would give her the name of an ear,nose, and throat specialist to take care of them. She was so rattled by the pollyps, and so releived of the no cancer diagnosis, she didn't think to ask more questions at the time. My question is, how can the doctor know that the pollyps aren't cancerous just by looking at them ? Wouldn't a biopsy or something need to be done ? I am extremely nervous, and any help or clarification would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Doctor's Answer
by National Jewish, Sep 03, 2004 12:00AM
, Sep 03, 2004 12:00AM
While your girlfriend’s doctor cannot absolutely know that the growth is not cancerous, there are certain indications of this. The size, color, appearance etc are all good diagnostic indicators. If the ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT) has a question, then a biopsy will be done to make absolutely sure of this.
Nasal polyps are fleshy growths of the lining of the nose and sinuses. Their roots are found in the upper part of the nose and in the ethmoid and maxillary sinuses. On a sinus x-ray they may look like clouding of the ethmoid and maxillary sinuses. A developing polyp is teardrop-shaped. A mature polyp looks like a peeled seedless grape. They can get large enough to block the opening of the sinuses and the nasal passage. This can certainly be felt as sinus pressure. Some people have problems with a stuffy nose, sinus infections, or loss of their senses of taste and smell. Surgery to remove the nasal polyps may be suggested. However, the chance of nasal polyps growing back is extremely high.
A nasal wash helps remove mucus and germs from the nose and sinuses. This can temporarily decrease the stuffy nose and sinus pressure. A prescription nasal steroid spray decreases the mucus production by decreasing the inflammation of the nose and sinuses. This may shrink nasal polyps. To get the most help from a nasal steroid spray use it after doing a nasal wash. A nasal steroid spray does not provide immediate relief of symptoms. It may require several weeks of routine use to become effective. Please read our Nasal Wash MedFact at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/nasal.html for more information about this technique. Share this information with your girlfriend’s doctor to see if she would benefit from this daily treatment.
If the nasal polyps are small this may be all the treatment that is needed to relieve her symptoms. If they are large, this treatment may shrink them enough that surgery is more likely to remove the entire root of the polyp so that it doesn’t grow back. Following surgery, indefinite routine use of a nasal steroid spray may keep nasal polyps from growing back.
Nasal polyps are fleshy growths of the lining of the nose and sinuses. Their roots are found in the upper part of the nose and in the ethmoid and maxillary sinuses. On a sinus x-ray they may look like clouding of the ethmoid and maxillary sinuses. A developing polyp is teardrop-shaped. A mature polyp looks like a peeled seedless grape. They can get large enough to block the opening of the sinuses and the nasal passage. This can certainly be felt as sinus pressure. Some people have problems with a stuffy nose, sinus infections, or loss of their senses of taste and smell. Surgery to remove the nasal polyps may be suggested. However, the chance of nasal polyps growing back is extremely high.
A nasal wash helps remove mucus and germs from the nose and sinuses. This can temporarily decrease the stuffy nose and sinus pressure. A prescription nasal steroid spray decreases the mucus production by decreasing the inflammation of the nose and sinuses. This may shrink nasal polyps. To get the most help from a nasal steroid spray use it after doing a nasal wash. A nasal steroid spray does not provide immediate relief of symptoms. It may require several weeks of routine use to become effective. Please read our Nasal Wash MedFact at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/nasal.html for more information about this technique. Share this information with your girlfriend’s doctor to see if she would benefit from this daily treatment.
If the nasal polyps are small this may be all the treatment that is needed to relieve her symptoms. If they are large, this treatment may shrink them enough that surgery is more likely to remove the entire root of the polyp so that it doesn’t grow back. Following surgery, indefinite routine use of a nasal steroid spray may keep nasal polyps from growing back.
http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual_home2/sec19/ch221/ch221h.jsp Excerpt:
"Polyps are common teardrop-shaped growths that form around the openings to the sinus cavities. A polyp resembles a peeled, seedless grape. Unlike polyps in the colon or bladder, polyps in the nose are not tumors and do not suggest an increased risk of cancer. They are merely a reflection of inflammation, although there may be a family history of the problem. The doctor may perform a biopsy of the polyp to ensure that it is not a cancer.
Polyps may develop during infections and may disappear after the infection subsides, or they may begin slowly and persist. Many people are not aware that they have nasal polyps, although they may have nasal congestion, obstruction, drainage, and chronic infections."