Not all sinus disease responds to a basic treatment regimen of antibiotics and decongestants. Sometimes sinus disease may keep coming back or seem constant. In these cases a CT scan of the sinuses can be very helpful in determining why the sinus problem has not responded to medical treatment. It can also help with developing an effective treatment plan.
In some cases, chronic sinusitis is due to fungal disease. It can also be from severe allergies resulting in nasal polyps. Certain variations in sinus anatomy that predispose patients to persistent sinus problems can also play a part. All of these special situations can be accurately diagnosed with an appropriate CT scan.
In our office setting, we have the Xoran Mini CAT CT scanner. We were the first center in Nevada to utilize in office sinus CT imaging in diagnosing sinus disorders. We are usually able to perform imaging studies on the same visit as your consultation . The scan is performed with the patient in a seated position. This study takes only a minute to perform. In addition, the Xoran Mini CAT CT scanner exposes patients to only a fraction of the radiation dose of a traditional head CT scan (about 1/50th).
Finally, the sinus CT images are archived for easy future access. They can also be used if a sinus procedure or surgery is required with our in-office navigation system (GPS during procedures customized to each patient’s anatomical “road map”).
In summary, in-office imaging is of significant value in diagnosing sinus problems as well as developing customized and effective treatment plans. It saves our patients time by not having to make multiple appointments or wait for results.
