Diseases of the ENT organs can affect the general well-being in the most negative way. Chronic rhinitis and benign tumors interfere with proper breathing. In this case, laser vasotomy can be an effective treatment - one of the types of partial removal of the mucosa or other formations in the nasal cavity.
What is this manipulation?
Laser vasotomy of the lower nasal concha is recommended for patients to reduce the mucous membrane in the nasal passages. Laser coagulation results in the evaporation of the vasculature localized between the epithelium and bone tissue. This intervention is performed by an otolaryngologist.
Intervention is usually prescribed for the chronic form of the common cold, which provokes hypertrophic processes of the nasal mucosa. Laser vasotomy is designed to return nasal breathing to the patient and cure various types of rhinitis:
- medication, the cause of which is usually the prolonged use of vasoconstrictors;
- allergic
- vasomotor.
Surgery on ENT organs involves cauterization of the mucosa using a laser beam aimed at the affected area. The laser evaporates pathological formations. Also, the indication for vaporization is obstruction of the nasal passages, the formation of polyps, adhesions.
What is the feature
Before deciding on an intervention, it is important to make sure that the cause of impaired breathing is the hypertrophic mucosa, and not the curvature of the nasal septum. Otherwise, laser vasotomy of the nasal passages will be ineffective, only septoplasty can help the patient.
The advantage of this method of surgical intervention minimizes the likelihood of infection. Unlike instrumental vasotomy, laser does not imply direct contact of the epithelium with a scalpel. In addition, after normal surgery, the patient has to recover longer after deep incisions of the mucous membranes.
Other types of vasotomy
Laser and traditional surgical methods are not the only ones. In modern otolaryngology, other methods of removing hypertrophied tissues from the nasal cavity are also used. Laser vaporization is considered the most preferable, since such an intervention reduces the likelihood of infection and creates the conditions for quick recovery. An equally effective and safe treatment method is exposure to ultrasound. This type of vaporization involves focusing the ultrasonic wave exclusively in the affected area, while the risk of additional damage is minimal.
You can remove the overgrown mucous membrane using the method of radiocoagulation. Its essence is as follows: the doctor makes punctures through which he inserts a special needle with a tip. This instrument delivers radio waves that cauterize damaged vessels.
Another technique that is gaining momentum today is vacuum resection. This relatively new method of intervention has not yet been applied universally, as it is undergoing a stage of thorough research. However, now experts call it the safest. The principle of action of vacuum vasotomy is the destruction of the submucosal layer using a tube inserted into the epithelium. The affected tissue is drawn into it as if by a pump due to the negative pressure created in the nasal cavity.
To whom vasotomy is contraindicated
This surgery is prescribed to patients with any type of chronic rhinitis. It is a protracted, untreated runny nose that can lead to hypertrophy of the nasal mucous membranes. Also, the need for laser vaporization may arise if the patient has abused vasoconstrictor drops, struggling with nasal congestion and a prolonged runny nose. Laser vasotomy will help eliminate drug dependence and cure rhinitis.
At the same time, this manipulation may not always be safe. Laser nasal vasotomy is not prescribed for patients with acute respiratory diseases, bleeding disorders. Before the planned surgical intervention, a comprehensive examination is required. It is not recommended to treat women in the first days of the menstrual cycle.
Preparation for treatment
Usually, the patient receives all the recommendations regarding preparation for the intervention from the attending physician. Before laser vaporization of the nasal concha, special preparation is not required. It is worth noting that before the operation, women are advised to limit themselves in carrying out cosmetic procedures, not to use decorative cosmetics 2-3 days before the intervention. It is important to abandon the use of drugs from the group of anticoagulants that contribute to blood thinning. Do not drink alcohol on the eve of treatment. In addition, no doctor will take on a patient without the results of laboratory tests, so this also needs to be taken care of in advance.
How is the operation
Before laser vasotomy of the lower nasal concha, the patient is measured blood pressure, familiarized with the rules of behavior and the algorithm of the surgeon. Then the patient puts on disposable clothes and follows to the operating room.
It is important for the doctor to make sure of a balanced calm state of a person. If the patient is very worried, he is given a mild sedative. The patient is placed in a chair, choosing a position with a raised head. In order for the operation to be successful and without negative consequences, with laser vasotomy of the nasal concha, in no case should you move. Even the slightest careless movement can lead to a burn of healthy tissues, so you need to pay enough attention to the position in the chair.
The patient is put on a special blindfold dressing. Before starting vaporization, the patient is given a local pain medication. Anesthesia can be used as an injection or turund soaked in Lidocaine: cotton swabs are placed in both nostrils several minutes before surgery. The outer part of the nose is treated with an alcohol solution for disinfection, and so that the doctor can accurately determine the place of hypertrophic growth of the mucosa, the nasal cavity is stained with Lugol's solution from the inside. During the operation, you need to breathe through your mouth to avoid unpleasant odors and vapors of burnt epithelium in the lungs.
Operation Technique
The surgeon finds the front of the lower shell, touches it with a laser beam and removes the affected tissue like a knife. Due to local anesthesia and the fact that the upper epithelial layer is not affected, the manipulation is completely painless for the patient. To monitor the progress of the intervention, the otolaryngologist uses an endoscope or a special mirror. The impact of the beam is carried out pointwise or continuously, wave-like. With laser vasotomy of the lower nasal concha, according to reviews, the patient may feel a burning sensation, tingling. Such a reaction is considered normal.
What are the benefits of laser treatment
After vaporization, the doctor does not install tampons in the nasal passages, since the laser prevents the occurrence of bleeding, in contrast to exposure to a scalpel. The operation is carried out by soldering and cauterization of blood capillaries, rupture of larger vessels does not occur.
In the normal course of coagulation, the intervention takes no more than 10-15 minutes. After the procedure, two small wounds of no more than 1-2 mm in size remain on the epithelial surface. If laser vasotomy was performed according to all the rules, no complications after treatment should be expected. For the final restoration of the mucosa, it will take several days.
Recovery and healing period
To wounds in the nasal cavity after surgery healed as quickly as possible, the doctor’s recommendations should be followed. Usually, the rehabilitation period does not last longer than 7-10 days. After manipulation, the patient does not need hospitalization. The maximum that may be required is to be under the supervision of a specialist for some time after the manipulation. Then the patient can go home.
According to reviews, laser vasotomy of the lower nasal concha allows patients to breathe through their nose after 3-4 days. During this period, you should not lead an active lifestyle. After the manipulation, it is worthwhile to adhere to the following restrictions in order to prevent a jump in blood pressure, which can cause nosebleeds:
- Avoid inclines;
- Do not go to the steam room, bathhouse, sauna;
- do not drink alcohol.
In no case should vasoconstrictive drops be used. These drugs can again have the opposite effect, as a result of which the benefits of the intervention will be reduced to zero. After laser vasotomy of the lower nasal concha, you can use special drugs that accelerate the healing process of tissues. For this purpose, patients are advised to drip nose, olive, apricot, peach oil.
What are the complications?
Like any surgical intervention, vaporization can lead to not the most favorable consequences. Laser vasotomy of the nasal concha can lead to the development of pathological changes if the patient did not comply with medical prescriptions and ignored the instructions of the surgeon.
After manipulation, a complication such as atrophy of the epithelial layer often develops. Despite the fact that this process is the opposite of mucosal hypertrophy, one should not rejoice at such a dynamics of recovery. Atrophy occurs due to damage to epithelial cells that have functional significance. Despite the fact that it is with laser destruction that the risk of atrophy is minimal, its probability cannot be completely ruled out.
The inflammatory process against the background of a bacterial infection is extremely rare. Given that there can be no direct mucosal contact with the instrument, and the laser beam itself, unlike the scalpel, is 100% sterile, the patient has almost no chance of infection. But still we must not forget that the protective barriers of the mucous membrane are reduced after any tissue damage, including after surgery. Laser vasotomy is no exception, because for some time after the intervention, the body remains vulnerable. The likelihood of developing an inflammatory process depends on the degree of invasiveness of vaporization.
In some cases, patients complain that after surgery their sense of smell is partially or completely lost. The cause of this phenomenon is postoperative edema. The ability to capture and distinguish odors will return after a rehabilitation period. In parallel with this, something may arise that initially forced to resort to a radical method of treatment - nasal congestion. If the swelling does not go away even after the laser or becomes even stronger, the cause may be an allergic reaction, which leads to repeated hypertrophy of the tissues.
Are patients satisfied
According to reviews, laser vasotomy is easily tolerated. Compared to surgical treatment, after vaporization with a laser beam, patients do not have to stay in the hospital for the next day. As soon as anesthesia ceases to act, there is a pain in the nose, turunds interfere, it is impossible to sleep. Sometimes local painkillers are ineffective, and the operation is painful. However, the same cannot be said about laser vasotomy of nasal concha. In the reviews, patients indicate that by the evening after the manipulation, the edema subsides, and independent free breathing through the nose returns to them.
Most of the comments on this type of treatment are positive, but there are also negative reviews. They are left by those patients who, for whatever reason, nasal breathing after the operation became even worse. It is possible that these people acted incorrectly in the postoperative period or continued to use vasoconstrictor drugs - this is a very common mistake. As a result, drug dependence becomes stronger, the patient sleeps very poorly, breathes only with his mouth, which makes his health worse:
- headache appears;
- heart palpitations;
- blood pressure rises;
- chronic fatigue and weakness occurs.
And in this case, helping patients is almost impossible. The only solution to the problem is to repeat the operation after 2-3 months, but even in this case no one can guarantee the desired result.
In general, laser destruction of the nasal concha completes successfully in more than 95% of cases. Sometimes the recovery period is prolonged in patients, during which it is necessary to stock up on calmness and patience, strictly follow the recommendations of the attending physician.
Cost of vasotomy of nasal concha
Laser treatment is not affordable - it is a relatively expensive operation. There are no standard prices that would be valid in all Russian clinics. The cost of manipulation depends on:
- informativeness of the primary diagnosis;
- methods and drugs used for local anesthesia;
- qualifications of an otolaryngologist;
- prestige of a medical institution;
- location of the clinic in the city.
Surgical vasotomy is performed free of charge according to the compulsory medical insurance policy, in order to undergo treatment, the patient will have to wait for his turn, and this can take from several weeks to several months. The remaining varieties of nasal concha resection, including laser, can be done in paid private clinics. On average, the cost of manipulation is in the range from 5 thousand to 15 thousand rubles. Moreover, this price implies the implementation of bilateral vasotomy. You will have to pay for laboratory tests and anesthesia separately. A more expensive option is laser vaporization combined with septoplasty. In the capital, the average cost of an operation is approximately 50 thousand rubles.