Chronic sinusitis that doesn’t respond to medical management can be treated surgically. This has necessitated an anesthetic and admission to a hospital or surgical center in the past. A new procedure called a balloon sinuplasty may allow your surgeon to treat your chronic sinusitis as a brief office procedure using a local anesthetic without invasive open surgery. With balloon sinuplasty there’s no need to cut tissue or bone in your nose to enter the involved sinuses. A balloon is inserted through the nostril and into the sinus through its opening. By inflating the balloon the sinus opening is stretched, enlarging it for better drainage of sinus mucus. The sinus can be washed through the balloon at the time of sinuplasty thereby cleaning out pus and mucus previously trapped inside the sinus. Recovery from traditional sinus surgery may take up to 2 weeks. Most patients undergoing balloon sinuplasty return to normal activities in 2 days.