Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is used to treat a number of different problems. This includes:
- treating sinusitis that hasn’t responded to other treatments
- treating recurrent sinusitis
- removing a foreign body
- controlling nosebleeds
- restoring normal tear drainage (if a tear duct is blocked)
- removing a sinus mucocoele
- removing a tumour
- repairing a cerebrospinal fluid leak
- orbital decompression (for people with Graves’ disease)
- optic nerve decompression
- treating congenital blockages in nasal passages.
Sinus surgery may be performed at the same time as nasal turbinate surgery, nasal polyp removal or nasal septum surgery.