Endoscopic Sinus Surgery 101: What is a Nasal Endoscope?

As a busy Los Angeles sinus surgeon, I field a lot of questions about the various devices used in our most popular procedures. Many questions relate to specific surgical techniques such as septoplasty or balloon sinuplasty, but a surprising number focus on the equipment itself. So I thought I would create a series of blog posts devoted to the ins and outs of the various medical devices that go, well, in and out. Today: the nasal endoscope.

A nasal endoscope is a narrow, fiber optic tube that is threaded up through the nose. Its primary function is to give your ENT visual access to the internal structures of the nose, nasal passages, sinus structures and throat. The nasal endoscope comes in two forms: flexible, and rigid. I usually favor the flexible version because of the greater versatility it offers, although each version has its advantages. Every nasal endoscope also contains at least two devices: a light to illuminate the area, and a video camera to send clear images back to your ENT.

So what is a nasal endoscope good for? When used in visualization, the endoscope provides a clean, well-lit view of the structures of the nose and throat, including potential trouble areas such as nasal polyps or blocked sinus openings. When used in endoscopic sinus surgery, the endoscope is accompanied with additional surgical tools that are used alongside the tube and deployed at the point of contact to remove, reshape and repair damaged tissues.

Endoscopic sinus surgery is a minimally invasive technique that is highly effective in treating sinus infections, deviated septums and a variety of other ailments. To learn more about these cutting edge tools, or to make an appointment with a leading Los Angeles sinus surgeon today, please contact my office.

Tags: endoscopic sinus surgery, los angeles ent, medical devices, nasal endoscope