Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Polypy goodness
One of my favorite things to do in the OR is remove nasal polyps. Got to do it twice today — so this was a very good day indeed.
This is how polyps look when they’re inside the nasal cavity:
Imagine trying to breathe around that.
Here’s how polyps look after we’ve yanked ’em out:
I like removing polyps because it’s a relatively safe and easy (albeit potentially bloody) thing to do, yet it creates a singularly happy patient. These are folks who have had to put up with facial pressure, sinus infections, and often severe nasal obstruction for months or years. The relief they get can be overwhelming.
Chronic tonsillitis patients are similarly pleased, but the operation is so painful it often takes a month or two before they thank you. Nasal polyposis patients are often delighted as soon as they recover from the general anesthesia.
No one knows what causes polyps to grow, but they seem to be associated with chronic inflammation from sinusitis and/or allergy. Some folks with these conditions form polyps, some do not. Once they form, they’re like weeds. We can weed the garden, but we know they’ll be back. Provided we keep the patient as sinusitis- and allergy-free as possible, we can sometimes keep the polyps at bay for years.
D.
My ex-husband had a turbinectomy/septoplasty combo many years ago. Hee got immediate relief, and suddenly almost all of hs allergy problems went away.
I’ve been told I have a deviated septum, but never bothered to do anything about it. The idea of breathing better is tempting. 🙂
Good operations (although I do something called a turbinoplasty rather than a turbinectomy, the “plasty” being the more conservative procedure). Great results:risk ratio.
Ewww… those things are gross looking.
Neat!! What’s inside a polyp? Are they gooey, fluid or fatty or something completely different??
I’ve never squished one between my fingers, but I suspect they’re slimy. They’re normal tissue with tons of water added and a hefty addition of white blood cells.
You never dissected one? I find that tragic! You must promise the next time you find a big, juicy one you’ll cut it open and lay it flat and see what’s in there. then take pictures and show us. Wouldn’t it be weird to find something the patient shoved up their nose when they were two? How big are these things anyways? Thumbnail sized? Head of a tack-sized? You could go all technical and give millimeters.
They range from microscopic to the size of a small plum. Or larger. If they’re too big, you have to push them backwards into the mouth and remove them that way.
That one above looks at least as big as a large grape.