Who Is a Candidate for Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (ESS)? Chronic Sinus Disease and Nasal Polyps

The second box of tissues on the desk gives it away. Maria has had a blocked nose for so long that she no longer remembers what coffee actually smells like, and she has started sleeping propped on three pillows. Two courses of antibiotics, a steroid spray, a saline rinse bottle she uses more faithfully than her toothbrush: none of it has moved the needle. Her ENT specialist has mentioned surgery, and now she is doing what most people do at this point, searching for who the endoscopic sinus surgery candidates really are and whether she is one of them.

That question deserves a more honest answer than most clinic pages give. Surgery is not a reward for suffering long enough, and it is not a shortcut around treatment that has not been tried properly. It is a specific tool for a specific anatomical problem, and the evidence is fairly clear about when it earns its place.

What follows is the reasoning surgeons actually use, laid out in plain language.

Who is a candidate for endoscopic sinus surgery? The short version

Strip away the jargon and the typical profile has three parts. First, the person has chronic rhinosinusitis: inflammation of the nose and sinuses that has lasted 12 weeks or longer, the threshold used by both the Mayo Clinic and the NHS to separate a stubborn cold from a chronic disease. Second, they have completed a reasonable trial of medical treatment, usually daily saline irrigation plus a steroid nasal spray, and often a course of antibiotics or oral steroids chosen by their clinician, without lasting improvement. Third, a CT scan (a detailed X-ray that builds cross-sectional images of the sinuses) shows disease that matches the symptoms.

Those three legs need to stand together. Symptoms without CT findings point toward other causes such as migraine or allergic rhinitis. CT findings without symptoms are common and rarely justify an operation. Medical treatment skipped or half-tried is the most frequent reason a surgeon asks someone to come back later rather than book a date.

Certain features push the balance toward surgery more firmly. Nasal polyps that keep blocking the airway despite treatment, four or more genuine infections a year, a fungal ball trapped in a sinus, or a mucocele (a sinus swollen with retained mucus that presses on nearby structures) all make a surgical discussion more likely. So do rare but serious complications where infection threatens the eye or the lining of the brain, where surgery may be urgent rather than elective.

What the evidence does not support is surgery for a dripping nose alone, for headaches without sinus disease on imaging, or for a single bad infection. Being a candidate for endoscopic sinus surgery is about a pattern, confirmed by a scope and a scan, not a single miserable month.

What chronic rhinosinusitis is, and why the 12-week line matters

Your sinuses are four pairs of air-filled pockets in the bones of the face and skull, each draining through a narrow opening, called an ostium, into the nose. The lining produces a thin film of mucus that microscopic hairs sweep toward those openings around the clock. This is mucociliary clearance, and it works beautifully until the openings swell shut. Trapped mucus thickens, oxygen levels inside the sinus fall, and inflammation feeds on itself.

Acute sinusitis, the kind that follows a cold, usually settles within a few weeks, and the CDC and NHS both note that most cases do not need antibiotics at all. Chronic rhinosinusitis is a different disease. The Mayo Clinic defines it as sinus and nasal inflammation lasting 12 weeks or more despite attempts at treatment, and the persistent features are nasal blockage, thick discharge, facial pressure and a reduced sense of smell.

The 12-week line is not arbitrary. By that point the problem is unlikely to be a lingering virus; it reflects a lining that has become chronically inflamed, a drainage pathway that has narrowed, or both. Clinicians now think of chronic rhinosinusitis less as an infection and more as an inflammatory condition, closer in behavior to asthma than to a chest infection. That shift explains why steroid sprays and rinses form the backbone of treatment and why antibiotics alone so often disappoint.

Two broad patterns matter for surgical planning. Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps tends to involve intense allergic-type inflammation and a poor sense of smell. Chronic rhinosinusitis without polyps more often centers on blocked drainage and recurrent infection. The distinction shapes both the medical plan and the goals of any operation.

How endoscopic sinus surgery actually works

An endoscope is a slim rigid telescope, about the width of a pencil, with a light and a camera at its tip. Passed through the nostril, it lets the surgeon see the sinus openings magnified on a screen without any external cut. Endoscopic sinus surgery uses that view to open the natural drainage pathways, remove diseased tissue and polyps, and restore ventilation, all through the nose. Johns Hopkins describes it as a minimally invasive procedure that leaves no visible scars.

The older term, functional endoscopic sinus surgery or FESS, is worth understanding because the word functional carries the whole philosophy. The aim is not to strip the sinuses bare but to enlarge the bottlenecks so the lining can heal and clear itself again. Healthy mucosa is preserved wherever possible, because that lining, with its sweeping hairs, is what keeps a sinus healthy long term.

Inside the operation, the surgeon typically removes the uncinate process, a thin curved bone that guards the maxillary sinus opening, and opens the ethmoid cells, a honeycomb of small air pockets between the eyes. Depending on the CT findings, the frontal and sphenoid sinuses may be opened too. Fine instruments and a microdebrider, a powered suction tool with a rotating blade, remove polyps piece by piece. Many teams use image guidance, a navigation system that matches the instrument’s position to the patient’s CT scan in real time, particularly near the eye and skull base.

Most procedures are done under general anesthesia and take roughly one to three hours depending on how many sinuses are involved. The majority of people go home the same day, though your surgeon will decide based on your health and the extent of surgery.

When do you need sinus surgery? The medical treatment that comes first

Surgeons have a phrase for what should happen before anyone reaches an operating room: maximal, or appropriate, medical therapy. It means giving the non-surgical options a fair chance, correctly and for long enough. The Mayo Clinic lists the mainstays: saline irrigation to wash out mucus and irritants, steroid nasal sprays to reduce lining inflammation, and, when needed, short courses of oral steroids or antibiotics prescribed by a clinician. Allergy management and asthma control belong on the same list.

Technique matters more than people expect. A steroid spray aimed straight at the septum, the wall between the nostrils, irritates tissue and misses the target; angled gently toward the outer corner of the eye, it reaches the sinus openings. Rinses work best with a large-volume squeeze bottle and previously boiled or distilled water, a safety point the CDC and NHS both emphasize. Someone who has used a spray sporadically for two weeks has not had a trial of medical therapy; someone who has used it daily for months and rinsed twice a day has.

How long is long enough? Guideline language typically frames the trial in weeks to a few months rather than years, with review by a clinician who can look inside with an endoscope. The point of the CT scan is timing as well as diagnosis: it is usually performed after that treatment course, so the images show what remains when inflammation has been treated as far as medicine can take it. A scan taken during an acute flare exaggerates disease.

Surgery enters the conversation when this pathway has been followed and the person still has persistent symptoms with matching CT findings. When the treatment has never really been given, the honest answer to when do you need sinus surgery is: not yet.

Sinus surgery for nasal polyps: why polyps change the conversation

Nasal polyps are soft, painless, teardrop-shaped growths of inflamed lining that hang from the sinus openings into the nose. They are not cancer, and they are not caused by anything a person did. The NHS notes they tend to affect adults, are more common in people with asthma, and can grow on both sides. When large, they block the airway completely, blunt the sense of smell, and give the voice a flat, congested quality.

Steroids are the first-line treatment because polyps are, at their core, a product of inflammation. Steroid sprays or drops reduce polyp size over weeks, and a short course of oral steroids can shrink them dramatically for a time, though the effect is temporary and repeated courses carry side effects a prescriber must weigh. The NHS describes referral for surgery when steroid treatment has not helped enough.

Here is the point people find hardest: sinus surgery for nasal polyps removes the polyps but does not remove the tendency to grow them. The Mayo Clinic and NHS both state plainly that polyps can return, sometimes within years. That is why surgery is best understood as a reset. It clears the airway, restores smell for many people, and, crucially, opens the sinuses so that steroid sprays and rinses can reach the lining afterward. Medication that could not get past a wall of polyps suddenly has somewhere to go.

Some people with polyps have a particular pattern called aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease, where asthma, polyps and a sensitivity to aspirin and related painkillers occur together. Polyps in this group tend to regrow more aggressively, which is one reason a thorough history matters before surgery is planned. Newer injectable medicines called biologics, which block specific inflammatory signals, are now also part of the specialist conversation for severe polyp disease, but whether they fit a given person is a decision for the treating team.

Who is usually asked to wait, and who may not be a candidate

Being told to wait is not a dismissal. It usually means one of the three legs of candidacy is missing, and fixing that leg gives the surgeon a clearer target and the patient a better chance of benefit.

The commonest reason for delay is incomplete medical treatment. A second is a mismatch between symptoms and imaging. Facial pain and pressure with a clean CT scan is a recognized pattern, and in many such cases the underlying driver is migraine or tension-type headache; operating on healthy sinuses cannot fix pain that does not come from them. A third is untreated allergy or poorly controlled asthma, both of which keep the lining inflamed and undermine healing.

Some situations call for caution rather than delay. Uncontrolled high blood pressure, bleeding disorders, or blood-thinning medication need planning with the prescribing clinician; never stop such a medicine on your own. Smoking impairs healing and raises the odds of scarring after surgery, and many surgeons ask people to stop beforehand. Pregnancy generally shifts elective sinus surgery to a later date.

Children are a separate story. Chronic rhinosinusitis in young children often improves with time, adenoid treatment or medical care, and endoscopic sinus surgery is reserved for specific circumstances by pediatric specialists.

Then there are people who are candidates but choose not to proceed, which is entirely legitimate. Chronic rhinosinusitis is a quality-of-life condition in most cases, not a threat to life, so the calculation is personal: how much the symptoms cost you against the risks and recovery of an operation. A surgeon who respects that trade-off will lay out the options, including continuing medical therapy, and let you decide. The exceptions are the rare complications that reach the eye or brain, where waiting is not safe and the decision becomes urgent.

Endoscopic sinus surgery candidates at a glance

Categories in medicine are never as tidy as a table suggests, but a summary helps organize the conversation you will have with your specialist. Every row below is a starting point for discussion, not a verdict.

Situation	Where surgery typically sits	What usually happens first
Symptoms 12+ weeks, medical therapy completed, CT shows persistent disease	Commonly considered	Endoscopy and CT review, discussion of goals and risks
Nasal polyps blocking the airway despite steroid treatment	Commonly considered	Assessment for asthma and aspirin sensitivity; discussion of long-term medical plan
Four or more confirmed infections a year with CT evidence of obstruction	Sometimes considered	Confirmation that episodes are true bacterial sinusitis, not viral colds
Fungal ball, mucocele, or infection threatening eye or brain	Often indicated, sometimes urgently	Imaging and, where needed, prompt specialist review
Facial pain with a normal CT scan	Usually not indicated	Evaluation for migraine or other headache disorders
Symptoms under 12 weeks, or medical therapy not yet tried properly	Usually asked to wait	Structured medical treatment, then reassessment
Uncontrolled asthma, active smoking, untreated allergy	Often deferred	Optimizing these first, since they affect healing

Notice what drives the right-hand columns: confirmation. The scope confirms inflammation. The CT confirms obstruction. The treatment trial confirms that medicine alone was not enough. When all three agree, the case for operating is strongest and the likelihood of meaningful relief is highest. When they disagree, a good surgeon slows down.

What is the least invasive sinus surgery? Balloon dilation and other options

People searching for the least invasive sinus surgery usually mean balloon sinus dilation, sometimes marketed as balloon sinuplasty. A thin catheter carrying a small balloon is guided into a sinus opening and inflated for a few seconds, gently widening the passage by pushing the surrounding bone outward, much as a similar technique opens narrowed heart arteries. No tissue is removed. The procedure can often be done under local anesthesia in a clinic setting, and recovery is typically quicker than after conventional endoscopic surgery.

Less invasive does not mean better for everyone. Balloon dilation opens a passage; it cannot remove polyps, clear a fungal ball, or address the ethmoid cells, that honeycomb between the eyes, which are the most frequently diseased area in chronic rhinosinusitis. Its clearest role is in people with limited disease of the maxillary, frontal or sphenoid sinuses and no polyps. For extensive disease it is either insufficient or used as one tool within a broader endoscopic operation.

Other options sit alongside it. Septoplasty straightens a deviated septum and is often combined with sinus surgery when a bent partition narrows the airway. Turbinate reduction shrinks the swollen shelves of tissue along the side wall of the nose. Neither treats the sinuses themselves, but both can improve airflow and medication delivery.

Then there is the least invasive option of all: continuing medical treatment. For many people with milder chronic rhinosinusitis, disciplined rinsing and spraying, allergy control and periodic specialist review keep symptoms tolerable indefinitely. The question to ask is not which procedure is smallest, but which approach matches the anatomy on your scan and the goals you have set. That is a conversation to have with your ENT team, who can show you the images and explain what each option can and cannot reach.

How risky is endoscopic sinus surgery? An honest look at complications

The sinuses sit against two structures nobody wants disturbed: the eye sockets on either side and the floor of the skull above. That geography is why the question how risky is endoscopic sinus surgery deserves a direct answer rather than reassurance. Serious complications are uncommon, and modern endoscopes and navigation systems have made the surgery safer, but they are not zero.

Expected effects are not complications. Some bleeding, nasal crusting, congestion that briefly feels worse than before surgery, mild facial discomfort and fatigue are part of normal healing over the first one to two weeks. Temporary changes in smell are also common while the lining settles.

Minor complications include bleeding heavy enough to need packing or a return visit, infection, and scar bands called synechiae that can narrow the openings again and occasionally need a brief office procedure to divide. Some people experience a persistently dry nose or, rarely, a reduced sense of smell that does not fully return.

Major complications are rare but the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins and Cleveland Clinic all list them because you have a right to know: injury to the thin bone of the eye socket causing bruising, double vision or, in the worst cases, vision loss; a leak of cerebrospinal fluid, the clear fluid that cushions the brain, if the skull base is breached, which may require repair; and significant bleeding from a major artery. Anesthetic risks apply as they would to any general anesthetic.

Risk is not uniform. Revision operations, where previous surgery has altered landmarks, extensive polyp disease that obscures the view, bleeding tendencies and certain anatomical variants all raise it. Your surgeon should be able to explain how these factors apply to your scan specifically. Ask, and expect a plain answer.

What the following days and weeks usually look like

Most people are surprised that the sorest part is not pain but congestion. For the first week the nose typically feels more blocked than before surgery, because the lining is swollen and the cavities fill with old blood and crusts. Breathing through the mouth at night, a bloodied tissue in the morning and a heavy, tired feeling are all ordinary in this phase. Johns Hopkins and the Mayo Clinic both describe a recovery measured in days to a couple of weeks for routine activities, with the lining continuing to heal over subsequent weeks.

The first days usually involve rest, sleeping with the head raised, avoiding nose blowing until your team clears it, and sneezing with the mouth open to spare the healing tissue. Strenuous exercise, heavy lifting and bending are generally paused because they raise pressure in the head and invite bleeding. Your surgeon will tell you when each restriction lifts; the ranges above are typical, not promises.

Saline rinses usually begin within a day or two and become the single most important thing you do. They flush clots and crusts, keep the new openings clear and prepare the lining for steroid treatment. Many people find the first rinses unsettling, with dark debris coming out, and then notice the air moving more freely each day.

Follow-up visits matter as much as the operation. The surgeon looks inside with the endoscope and may perform debridement, gently clearing crusts and early scar tissue from the openings under local anesthetic. It is briefly uncomfortable and it protects the result. The number of visits varies with the extent of surgery and how the tissue heals.

Time away from work varies with the job. Desk work often resumes within the first or second week; physically demanding roles may need longer. Fatigue lingers for some people beyond the point where the nose feels fine, which is normal after any general anesthetic.

Life after sinus surgery: why the operation is not the finish line

Ask people what life after sinus surgery is like and the answers cluster around three things: air, smell and sleep. Breathing freely through the nose for the first time in years is the change most often described. Smell returning, sometimes suddenly, is the change most often remembered. Better sleep follows from both.

What the honest accounts also mention is that the nose still needs looking after. Chronic rhinosinusitis is an inflammatory condition, and surgery treats the plumbing, not the underlying tendency of the lining to swell. The Mayo Clinic frames surgery as a way to improve drainage and let medicines work better, not as a standalone fix. For most people, daily saline rinsing and a steroid nasal spray continue long term, now reaching sinuses that were previously walled off. Allergy treatment and asthma control keep doing their quiet work.

For people with polyps, the plan is more explicit. Because regrowth is expected in a proportion of cases over the years, the NHS advises continuing steroid treatment after surgery to slow it, with periodic review. Some people go many years without recurrence; others need repeat surgery eventually. A specialist who sees you regularly can catch small polyps early, when medication can still hold them.

Expectations deserve calibration. Surgery aims to reduce blockage, discharge and infections and to restore smell where the nerve endings are still healthy. It is less reliable for facial pain that was never truly sinus-related, and it does not stop colds. People who go in understanding these limits tend to be the ones who describe the outcome as worthwhile.

The best way to picture the long run is a partnership: an operation that opens the doors, and daily habits plus specialist follow-up that keep them open.

What people often get wrong about endoscopic sinus surgery

Myths gather around any operation done through an opening as private as the nose. Several of them steer people either toward surgery too early or away from it when it would genuinely help.

The first myth is that surgery is what you get when antibiotics fail. Chronic rhinosinusitis is mostly inflammatory, not simply bacterial, so antibiotics failing tells you little on its own. The proper test is whether inflammation-targeted treatment, rinses and steroid sprays used correctly for a sustained period, has failed.

The second is that the surgeon breaks the nose or cuts the face. Endoscopic surgery is performed entirely through the nostrils. There is no external incision, no black eyes as a rule, and no change to the shape of the nose. The bruised appearance people picture belongs to rhinoplasty, a different operation.

The third is that recovery means weeks of agony with yards of packing pulled out. Modern practice uses dissolvable materials or no packing at all in many cases, and pain is usually described as pressure and congestion rather than sharp pain. Discomfort exists; the horror stories are mostly a generation old.

The fourth is that once the polyps are out, they are gone for good. The NHS and Mayo Clinic are candid that polyps can return, which is why ongoing steroid treatment is part of the plan.

The fifth is that a scan showing sinus disease means you need surgery. Incidental findings on CT scans done for other reasons are common in people with no symptoms. Imaging must match complaints.

The sixth is that surgery will fix sinus headaches. When the CT is clean, the headache usually has another source, most often migraine, and the evidence for operating in that situation is poor. A careful surgeon will say so, even when a patient arrives convinced.

Questions to ask your care team before deciding

A good consultation should leave you able to explain, in your own words, why surgery is or is not being recommended. These questions help you get there, and they are worth writing down beforehand; the room tends to empty the mind.

• Which of my sinuses are involved on the CT scan, and can you show me on the images?
• What exactly do you plan to do in each sinus, and why that extent rather than more or less?
• Have I completed an adequate trial of medical treatment, and if not, what would that involve?
• Which of my symptoms is surgery most likely to help, and which may not change?
• Do I have nasal polyps, and if so, what does that mean for recurrence and for my long-term treatment plan?
• Should I be assessed for asthma, allergy or aspirin sensitivity before surgery?
• Is balloon dilation, septoplasty or turbinate reduction relevant to my case, and would any be combined with the operation?
• What are the specific risks in my anatomy, and what is your plan for protecting the eye and skull base?
• Will image guidance be used?
• What should I do about my regular medicines, especially anything that affects bleeding, and who will advise me on that?
• What will the first two weeks look like, what restrictions apply, and when will I be reviewed?
• Will I need debridement visits, and how many are typical for this extent of surgery?
• What ongoing treatment will I need afterward, and for how long?
• What happens if I choose not to have surgery now; what would we do instead, and how would we know if the decision should be revisited?

None of these questions is adversarial. Surgeons generally welcome them, because a patient who understands the plan follows the aftercare, and aftercare is half the result. If any answer is unclear, ask for it again in different words. If you still feel unsure, asking for time to think, or for a second opinion, is a reasonable and routine request.

When to call your doctor: red-flag signs before and after surgery

Most of chronic rhinosinusitis is slow and unglamorous, which is exactly why the rare emergencies are easy to miss. Knowing the red flags protects you whether you are still deciding about surgery or already recovering from it.

Before surgery, seek urgent care the same day if a sinus infection is accompanied by swelling or redness around the eye, difficulty moving the eye, double or reduced vision, a severe headache unlike any you have had, a stiff neck, high fever with confusion or drowsiness, or swelling of the forehead. The Mayo Clinic and NHS list these because infection can, rarely, spread from the sinuses to the eye socket or the lining of the brain, and hours matter.

After surgery, call your surgical team promptly for bleeding that is steady and bright red rather than a slow trickle, or that soaks through dressings and does not slow with head elevation and rest; for a fever that rises or persists; for worsening rather than improving pain; for swelling, bruising or pain around the eye, any change in vision, or the eye bulging; and for a clear, watery, often salty-tasting fluid dripping from one nostril, especially when leaning forward, which can signal a cerebrospinal fluid leak and needs assessment. A severe headache, neck stiffness or unusual drowsiness after surgery also warrants an urgent call.

Call the emergency number in your area if bleeding is heavy and will not stop, if breathing is difficult, or if there is sudden vision loss.

Less dramatic concerns still deserve a call rather than a wait: crusting that blocks the nose completely, a foul smell that persists, or symptoms that improve and then return. Your team would far rather hear from you early than manage a problem late. Any decision about further tests, medicines or a return to the operating room belongs to them, made with the full picture in front of them.

Frequently asked questions

Who is a candidate for sinus surgery?

Usually an adult with chronic rhinosinusitis lasting 12 weeks or more, whose symptoms persist despite a proper course of saline rinses, steroid nasal sprays and any prescribed antibiotics or oral steroids, and whose CT scan shows sinus disease matching the symptoms. Nasal polyps, frequent confirmed infections, fungal balls or complications strengthen the case. The treating ENT team makes the final judgment after nasal endoscopy and imaging.

When do you need sinus surgery rather than more medication?

Surgery is generally discussed when symptoms continue after a sustained trial of medical treatment and a CT scan taken after that treatment still shows blocked or diseased sinuses. It becomes more pressing with polyps that keep obstructing the airway, retained mucus swelling a sinus, or rare infections spreading toward the eye or brain, which may need urgent surgery. Without those findings, continuing medical therapy is usually the recommendation.

How risky is endoscopic sinus surgery?

For most people the risk is low, and the common effects are temporary bleeding, crusting and congestion. Minor complications include heavier bleeding, infection and scar bands narrowing the openings. Rare major complications include injury to the eye socket with vision problems and a cerebrospinal fluid leak from the skull base. Revision surgery, extensive polyps and bleeding disorders raise risk, so ask your surgeon how these apply to you.

What is the least invasive sinus surgery?

Balloon sinus dilation, in which a small balloon is inflated inside a sinus opening to widen it without removing tissue, is the least invasive procedure and can sometimes be done under local anesthesia. It is suited to limited disease without polyps. It cannot clear polyps, fungal debris or the ethmoid cells, so many people with chronic rhinosinusitis still need conventional endoscopic surgery, or a combination of the two.

What is life after sinus surgery really like?

Most people describe easier nasal breathing, better sleep and, often, a return of smell once the lining heals. The nose still needs daily care, usually saline rinses and a steroid spray, because the underlying inflammatory tendency remains. People with polyps continue treatment to slow regrowth and see their specialist periodically. Surgery does not prevent colds or fix headaches that were not sinus-related in the first place.

Is sinus surgery for nasal polyps permanent?

No. Surgery removes the polyps present at the time and opens the sinuses, but the NHS and Mayo Clinic note that polyps can grow back, sometimes years later. Continuing steroid nasal treatment after surgery reduces that likelihood, and regular review lets a specialist catch small polyps early. Some people never need a second operation; others do eventually, particularly those with asthma or aspirin sensitivity.

Does endoscopic sinus surgery change the shape of my nose or leave scars?

No. The entire procedure is performed through the nostrils using a slim telescope and fine instruments, so there are no external cuts, no visible scars and no change to the nose’s shape. Black eyes are not typical. The bruised look people associate with nasal surgery belongs to rhinoplasty, a cosmetic or structural operation on the outside of the nose, which is a different procedure.

How long does recovery from endoscopic sinus surgery take?

The most congested, tired phase usually lasts about one to two weeks, and the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins describe a return to routine activities within that kind of window, with the lining continuing to heal over subsequent weeks. Strenuous exercise and nose blowing are paused until your surgeon clears them. Follow-up debridement visits, where crusts are cleared with the endoscope, protect the result. Individual timelines vary.

Can sinus surgery fix my sinus headaches?

Only if the headaches genuinely come from sinus disease visible on a CT scan. Facial pain and pressure with a normal scan is a well-recognized pattern, and the usual cause is migraine or another headache disorder, which surgery cannot help. A careful surgeon will look for matching findings on endoscopy and imaging before recommending an operation and may suggest a headache assessment instead.

Will I still need nasal sprays after sinus surgery?

Very often, yes. Chronic rhinosinusitis is an inflammatory condition, and surgery improves drainage and access rather than removing the tendency of the lining to swell. Steroid sprays and saline rinses typically continue long term, now reaching sinuses that were previously blocked. The exact plan, including how long to continue and whether other treatments such as biologics are relevant, is a decision for your prescribing clinician.

References

• NHS: Nasal polyps
• NHS: Sinusitis (sinus infection)
• MedlinePlus: Sinusitis

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.