Most of the time, a ballon sinuplasty can be done in less than an hour, and recovery time is typically only a couple of days. | Wikimedia Commons
Most of the time, a ballon sinuplasty can be done in less than an hour, and recovery time is typically only a couple of days. | Wikimedia Commons
Dr. John Ditto, a surgeon at Richmond Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers, knows a thing or two about balloon sinuplasty, a relatively new procedure that provides relief to patients suffering from sinus infections and other sinus ailments.
"Balloon sinuplasty, as you know, it came out in 2005," Ditto told North Richmond Today. "It is a fantastic new technique because what studies have shown is that it's as effective as traditional functional endoscopic sinus surgery."
Dr. John Ditto
| Richmond Breathe Free
Balloon sinuplasty can provide great relief for patients suffering from sinus-related ailments.
"I can perform a procedure for a patient and improve their recurrent sinusitis by using a minimally invasive technique... instead of taking them to the operating room under general anesthesia and performing a sinus bone and membrane destruction procedure where you're removing things," Ditto said. "Here I’m just opening things up, just allowing them to breathe."
The main goal of sinus surgery is to provide relief from symptoms and to reduce recurrences of sinus infections, according to WebMD. The procedure requires no incisions, says Very Well Health.
A typical balloon sinuplasty procedure offers a quick recovery time, and the procedure is simple when done by a qualified professional. Most procedures can be done in less than an hour, and patients in a 2014 study reported that they returned to work an average of 1.4 days after the procedure, according to the American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy.
Ditto, a board-certified otolaryngology head and neck surgeon, is a fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy who received his medical degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine. He did his post-medical school training in disorders of the ear, nose and throat at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. During his residency, Ditto's research was published in the Archives of Otolaryngology, and post-residency he completed a fellowship in otology at the University of Michigan.
Early in 2020, Ditto opened the Richmond Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Center, where he focuses on minimally invasive treatments and helps patients find relief with balloon sinus procedures, in which he has about 14 years of experience.
"Dr. Ditto was amazing," one of Richmond Breathe Free's patients, Lauren Zuk, told North Richmond Today. "It only took about half an hour."
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