Nearly 35 million Americans suffer from sinus disease each year.
Those with allergies or asthma can form polyps in the sinuses, increasing congestion, sinus pressure, nasal drainage and sleep discomfort without any classic signs of infection. Polyps can grow slowly and silently in the sinuses and be mistaken for nasal allergies. Although these types of polyps never become cancerous, sinus polyps may become aggressive and remodel the facial bones from the inside out, putting pressure most commonly in the eye, cheek and forehead areas.
Sinus polyps are commonly aggravated to grow by dysregulation of the body’s immune response. For this reason, the anti-inflammatory and immune suppressing effects of steroid medication are often used to help treat polyps. However, high doses of oral steroid medications are not advised for chronic use because of their numerous side effects. In some cases, polyps may be caused by fungal infections that may actually be worsened by antibiotics or oral steroid medications, and should be evaluated by an ENT physician.
Implanting The Propel Solution
Propel is a steroid-impregnated, medicated device that Dr. Monica Tadros uses to help treat polyps and prevent them from returning. The dissolvable implant is temporary, lasting up to 30 days and does not require removal because it is self-absorbed by the body. It looks like a soft interlacing spiderweb that expands just where you need it in the sinus cavity, allowing for the mometasone steroid medication to be delivered continuously to the problem areas over a 30 day period of time. The benefits of local delivery eliminate the unwanted side effects of oral steroid medications and allow for higher doses of steroid medication to be delivered directly into the polyp tissue.
The PROPEL system leverages Sustained Release Technology, which allows for local, sustained drug delivery directly to the sinus mucosa. Mometasone furoate is embedded in a highly customized polymer, which controls the release of drug over time as the implant dissolves. The self-expanding nature of PROPEL ensures the implant props open the cavity and apposes the tissue to maximize targeted drug delivery.
The biggest problem that polyp patients suffer is recurrence of the sinus polyps, especially if the underlying inflammatory cause cannot be corrected. Having to endure numerous surgeries to remove polyps that come back is not uncommon. Dr. Monica Tadros now uses Propel as a simple, painless non-surgical office procedure that takes minutes under local anesthesia to help melt polyps away.
