Mr. Zhang is 53 years old and is an employee of a hospital. Two years ago a health checkup revealed an edema-like mass in his left nasal cavity, and the doctor recommended surgery. Because there was usually no discomfort, Mr. Zhang ignored it. Two years later, by chance, there was blood in the nose, and the doctor took part of the swelling outpatient pathological examination for nasal polyps, and after surgery to completely remove the swelling, the pathological examination was nasal invagination papilloma with local malignancy.
Polyps in the nose, medically known as nasal polyps. Because most nasal polyps “do not hinder eating, not hinder drinking, not hinder sleeping”, so life like Mr. Zhang for nasal polyps “no attention” to the few people. Nasal polyps are formed due to the swelling of the mucous membrane in the nasal cavity and the loss of normal function. The nose is not ventilated after a cold, is the result of the swelling of the mucous membrane in the nasal cavity. After the application of oral medication or local nasal drops, the swelling of the mucous membrane in the cavity will subside and the nose will be ventilated again. However, repeated swelling of the mucous membrane in the nasal cavity will be like a balloon filled with water for a long time and lose its elasticity, which cannot be recovered and forms nasal polyps.
There are many cavities surrounded by bony plates in the nasal cavity, medically known as sinuses, including the pterygoid, septal, frontal and maxillary sinuses. The formation of some nasal polyps is associated with the edema of the mucous membranes in these sinus cavities falling into the nasal cavity. Many patients with nasal polyps are very distressed because the “roots” of the polyps are in these bony crevices. This is why some people describe nasal polyp surgery as being like cutting leeks, cutting one crop after another.
The main manifestations of nasal polyps are nasal incompetence, odor, and nasal sound in speech. Hemorrhagic nasal polyps will have nasal bleeding. When nasal polyps are found, they should be treated surgically. Since the nasal cavity is adjacent to the eye and brain, surgery has certain risks, especially with the eye only separated by a very thin bone plate, called paper-like plate, which can be easily damaged by careless operation during surgery. Reports of blindness after nasal polyp surgery are also not uncommon. Nowadays, nasal polyp surgery is operated in the nasal cavity without incisions on the surface skin.
Prevention of nasal polyps is fundamental to avoid nasal polyp pain. First, reduce colds and avoid recurrent edema of the nasal mucosa. A disease closely related to nasal polyps is allergic rhinitis. Such patients often have symptoms such as itchy nose, sneezing and runny nose when they smell a certain odor in a certain season of the year, or when they encounter hot or cold air changes.
Patients who have undergone surgery for nasal polyps should strictly follow the doctor’s instructions and visit the hospital for regular checkups. Once small mucosal edema is found, it should be removed promptly to avoid another major surgery. No doctor can guarantee that there will be no recurrence after nasal polyp surgery, but the recurrence rate can be minimized by careful post-operative care. In addition, postoperative patients should take medication promptly after a cold to prevent recurrence of nasal polyps caused by local irritation of pus produced by sinusitis.