As ear, nose, and throat specialists, the physicians of SCENT see several patients every day who suffer from chronic sinus problems. Our patients often complain about crippling facial pain and sinus headache, severe nasal congestion, post-nasal drip, chronic cough, and a general feeling of being chronically unwell. In many instances, our patients have been living with symptoms for weeks to months while they are experimenting with incorrect or inadequate treatment regimens. Many times our patients have been on a variety of medications that have not helped them to feel better and, in some situations, they have not even received a proper diagnosis. Virtually everyone in this situation is frustrated and disheartened at the feelings of hopelessness that come with continually feeling ill, being in constant discomfort, and failing to improve with treatment.
Sinusitis is one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions in the United States each year. Patients miss a remarkable amount of time at work and countless experiences with their friends and families because they are suffering from sinus-related problems. These patients are frustrated with continually having to be on antibiotic therapy and, many times, they feel just as bad from the treatment they are receiving as they did from the initial sinus problems. At SCENT, we pride ourselves on being able to help even the most discouraged sinus sufferers.
Both our Santa Clarita and Palmdale office are state-of-the-art facilities that allow us to make a proper diagnosis and initiate the correct treatment at the first patient visit. In many cases, a CT scan can be obtained at the first appointment to confirm a correct diagnosis. This allows us to initiate precise treatment immediately to help alleviate our patients’ suffering. Further, the precision of a CT scan eliminates any chance of an incorrect diagnosis allowing us only to prescribe medications when they are absolutely necessary.
While we are experts at the medical management of sinus problems, the physicians of SCENT are also on the cutting edge of surgical management for sinus disease. For many years, we have offered outpatient sinus surgery, done in a minimally invasive fashion without nasal packing, to help treat our patients who are suffering from severe sinus problems. All of our physicians have performed literally thousands of sinus procedures. In keeping with our desire to offer our patients maximal improvement with minimal impact on quality of life, we have become experts in Balloon Sinuplasty. Balloon sinuplasty is a new, cutting-edge technique that allows us to treat chronic sinus problems in the office. In using a specialized balloon catheter similar to the one used to treat clogged blood vessels in the heart, we are able to open blocked sinuses painlessly, wash out any residual infection, and start our patients on the road to recovery. The procedure is done in our office and does not require general anesthesia. There is minimal pain or bleeding and patients can return to normal activities as soon as the next day in many cases. Our results thus far have been extraordinary!
Balloon sinuplasty is a remarkable new technology in our battle against suffering due to sinus problems. If you are discouraged by your continual battle against sinus issues, we would like you to know that there are many treatment options that can help you get back to feeling like yourself again. We look forward to taking care of your sinus needs in the future.
Dr. Adam I. Friedman grew up in Encino, California. As a child he was an avid tennis player and snow skier.
