PHX Reporter

• 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.    

Fumio Kishida, the prime minister of Japan, recently underwent sinus surgery in Tokyo to treat chronic sinusitis, which he had previously managed with medication.

Dr. John Stewart of Arizona Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers says 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.

"We look at the sinuses as simple plumbing. The nose is like the faucet in the sinuses or the plumbing that drains into the faucet," Stewart told PHX Reporter. "In the old surgeries, everything was sort of gutted out of the sinuses and it was just one giant cavity. We find that [balloon sinuplasty] is the way to go nowadays. I can do it endoscopically right through the nose. It's a fast procedure. It can be done with local and topical anesthetics. It's a comfortable procedure, and it's a fast recovery. It works really well."

According to AP News, Kishida had suffered sinusitis symptoms for the past year, which he had treated with medication. However, he decided to have the surgery “in order to be in perfect health.” Throughout the past year, 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, having 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) to 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 2 hours, and patients might need up to four weeks to recover, during which time they should avoid strenuous activities such as exercise.

"If you look at it that way, you have to have an open faucet and open plumbing. In the old days, it was a seek-and-destroy type of procedure," Stewart said. "They went in roughshod and really invaded and destroyed all of the sinuses and tried to create these gigantic cavities. We found that if you just enhance the natural anatomy to its maximum, you get much better results, much faster recovery and much more satisfied patients."

A balloon sinuplasty procedure lasts 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. Still, Stewart said, the minimally invasive nature of the procedure leads to quicker healing.

"The anatomy is not altered, the openings are. It's amazing how we're put together," he said. "But those sinus openings, even in the best of patients, are very tiny. Just a couple of extra colds, a few years of allergies, and those sinus exits tend to swell shut. So we dilate them and open them with little balloons. With sinuplasty, we over-dilate so that by the time it heals up, it's just about the perfect size for it to function at its normal capacity. And nothing's been destroyed, nothing's been removed and the [patients] recover well. There's no missing landmarks."

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