LA Harbor News

• The prime minister of Japan underwent sinus surgery on a Saturday and returned to work on Monday.
• He said the procedure went "smoothly" and thanked everyone for their "concerns and encouragement."
• A local doctor said that innovation has made sinus surgery faster and less invasive.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently underwent sinus surgery in Tokyo to treat chronic sinusitis, which he had previously been managing with medication.

Dr. Matt Hershcovitch of SoCal Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers tells patients that balloon sinuplasty is a quick, painless, minimally invasive procedure, especially compared to older sinus surgeries, and it helps return the sinuses to their normal function. 

"To be honest, almost everybody is a good candidate for (balloon sinuplasty)," Hershcovitch told LA Harbor News. "Because this is done here in the office as a minimally invasive procedure, the balloon sinuplasty is one of the safest, if not the safest sinus procedure you can actually undergo. This allows us to offer the procedure to many patients who would not otherwise be candidates. Many of my more senior patients are fearful, for good reason, of going under a general anesthetic and wish to avoid that, if at all possible, as there are significant cardiopulmonary and neurological risks with that."

According to AP News, Kishida had suffered from sinusitis symptoms for the past year, which he had been treating with medication. However, he decided to have the surgery “in order to be in perfect health.” Throughout the last year, the local media had sometimes commented on Kishida's stuffy nose and congestion. He had the procedure done on a Saturday and said he planned to return to work the following Monday.

“The surgery went smoothly, and I have returned to my official residence,” Kishida said, according to AP News. “Thank you very much, everyone, for your concerns and encouragement.” 

Chronic sinusitis is one of the most common chronic medical conditions among Americans, causing a negative effect on a person's quality of life, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). NCBI conducted a study comparing patients who underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) with patients who opted for a balloon sinuplasty and found that, although both procedures are effective, balloon sinuplasty patients needed fewer antibiotic treatments after having the procedure.

FESS involves removing sinus tissue, while balloon sinuplasties are "less traumatic" since they don't include removing any tissue and instead rely on dilation to improve sinus function. FESS procedures typically take 90 minutes to two hours, and patients might need up to four weeks to recover, during which time they should avoid strenuous activities such as exercise.

On the other hand, a balloon sinuplasty procedure takes only 10 to 15 minutes, and patients typically recover within one to two days. Most patients can resume their normal activities during that time, although they may experience some swelling for up to a week, according to Eisemann Plastic Surgery Center. 

Hershcovitch said the minimally invasive nature of the procedure opens up new possibilities for a variety of patients.

"The balloon sinuplasty allows us to perform the procedure on a whole range of patients, anyone from a teenager all the way up to centenarians," he said. "The question is who's not a candidate, and the only people who we will say are not candidates for this procedure are people who are on significant heavy-duty anticoagulants, who cannot get off them for a period of time."

If you're interested in learning more about the symptoms of sinusitis and allergies, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.