Afe Babalola Multi-system Hospital performs first functional endoscopic sinus surgery

Four months after it successfully performed three Open Heart Surgeries/interventions, Afe Babalola Multi-system Hospital has again successfully carried out its first Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS).

The procedure was carried out on a young lady with recurrent growth in the nostrils with an extension to all the sinuses.

She was diagnosed as a case of Antrochoanal Polyp with Pansinusitis.

According to a statement by the Head of Corporate Affairs of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Mr Tunde Olofintila, the patient had a successful surgical procedure arising from the use of minimally invasive technique with the advantage of short hospital stay and with minimal intra-operative blood loss.

The beauty of the treatment was that the patient was discharged after an overnight admission for recuperation.

By the successful FESS, ABUAD Multi-System Hospital has positively demonstrated its ability and capability to use this technique as a result of which Nigerians no longer need to travel abroad for the sake of undergoing the procedure.

Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS) is a procedure for the treatment of sinus disease and restoration of the functions of the paranasal sinuses using tiny telescopes mounted on cameras and tiny instruments.

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The development of high-resolution telescopes, camera systems, medical imaging systems and instrumentations has propelled FESS to the gold standard in the management of sinonasal diseases.

Diseases of these sinuses often lead to head or facial pains, facial congestion and heaviness, loss of sense of smell and impaired taste, among others.

Prior to the advent of Endoscopic Sinus Surgery, patients having sinus surgeries have had to undergo extensive surgeries involving incisions through the face or oral cavities.

These surgeries are associated with extensive tissue dissection, significant blood loss and the attendant postoperative pains, prolonged hospitalisation and facial scars.

However, current knowledge and skills have shown that these traditional surgeries leave the paranasal sinuses in an abnormal physiological state, resulting in frequent recurrence of sinus diseases and the need for further surgeries.

However, with Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery, a cure is achieved without facial scars and with minimal risks of recurrence.

Although Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery costs much more than traditional sinus surgeries, the reduced post-operative pains and swellings and the lack of facial scars more than compensate for the increased cost.