Condition · 2 treatment paths
Chronic Rhinosinusitis
Chronic rhinosinusitis is inflammation of the nose and sinuses lasting more than 12 weeks. It occurs with or without nasal polyps and is often linked to allergy or asthma.
Send your imaging + plan. Board-reviewed opinion in 5–10 working days.
- Treatment paths
- 2Treatment paths
- Specialties
- 1Specialties
- Typical severity
- ModerateTypical severity
About chronic rhinosinusitis
What to know
People have a blocked nose, thick discharge, facial pressure and a reduced sense of smell. Diagnosis combines nasal endoscopy to look for swelling or polyps with a CT scan of the sinuses. It tends to be persistent, with flare-ups, and some people also have asthma or aspirin sensitivity.
Treatment starts with saline rinses and steroid nasal sprays, with short courses of oral steroids or antibiotics in selected cases. Allergy treatment helps when allergy is a factor. When medicines fail, functional endoscopic sinus surgery opens the blocked drainage pathways, and balloon sinuplasty may suit selected people without polyps. Biologic injections can be used for severe polyp disease. Treatment abroad is considered for planned surgery.
Pre-flight workup
Tests to have already done
- CT scan of the sinuses, taken after a period of medical treatment, showing which sinuses are blocked and the bony anatomy.
- Nasal endoscopy findings or photographs showing polyps, discharge or deviation of the septum.
- A list of treatments tried, with duration, such as steroid nasal sprays, saline rinses and oral steroid or antibiotic courses.
- Allergy tests, and asthma or aspirin-sensitivity history, which strongly influence the plan.
- Smell test results if available, and records of any previous sinus operations.
Second opinion
When to get a second look
- You have had sinus surgery before and symptoms have come back, particularly with polyps.
- You have been advised surgery but the CT shows few changes, which may mean your symptoms have another cause.
- You have asthma with polyps and have not been assessed for biologic injections.
Talking to your doctor
Questions to ask
- Do I have polyps, and does my CT show disease in the sinuses matching my symptoms?
- Have I had a proper trial of sprays and rinses before surgery?
- Is FESS enough, or would balloon sinuplasty suit my anatomy?
- Could allergy, asthma or aspirin sensitivity be driving this, and should that be treated first?
- How will I keep the sinuses healthy after surgery, and how often might polyps return?
Outlook
Realistic prognosis
Endoscopic sinus surgery improves breathing and facial pressure in most patients, usually alongside continued nasal sprays and rinses. Sense of smell recovers less reliably. Polyps and asthma make recurrence more likely, and some people need repeat surgery or newer biologic treatments. Best results come when surgery follows a proper medical trial and the CT clearly matches symptoms.
01 · Specialties
Specialties that treat Chronic
Diagnostic workup
Before you pick a hospital, get the workup right
Picking the right treatment is downstream of a complete diagnosis. Skip steps here and the destination surgeon usually re-orders them anyway — at higher cost and another week on the ground.
- Confirm the diagnosis on imaging or labs
For chronic rhinosinusitis, plan on the workup your home doctor would order anyway — typically a recent specialist consult plus the imaging / labs the destination team will need to quote accurately. Anything older than 90 days usually gets re-done.
- See a ent / otolaryngology specialist locally first
An in-person clinical exam at home — even a single consult — costs little and dramatically improves the destination plan. Bring back: written impression, recommended procedure, surgical-risk class, and any contra-indications.
- Send us the file for a free second opinion
Two surgeons in our medical panel review the workup independently. They tell you whether they'd operate, watch, or refer — even if that means recommending against travel.
- Pick a path with timeline + cost in writing
Once a treatment is the right call, we line up 2–3 hospital options with itemized quotes, surgeon profiles, and a travel timeline. You hold the file — switch hospitals or step away at any point.
Where to be treated
Chronic Rhinosinusitis treatment by destination
04 · FAQ
Common questions about chronic rhinosinusitis
Is surgery always needed?
No. Many people improve with steroid nasal sprays and saline rinses. Surgery is considered after proper medical treatment has failed or there are complications.
Will my polyps come back?
Polyps can recur, especially with asthma or aspirin sensitivity. Continued sprays and regular follow-up reduce the chance, and biologic injections are an option for severe cases.
Can I fly with a sinus problem?
With blocked sinuses, pressure changes can cause pain, so use your decongestant or spray as advised. After surgery, wait for your surgeon's approval, often one to two weeks.
Will my sense of smell return?
It improves in many people, particularly with polyps, but recovery is variable and may be incomplete if the smell nerve has been affected for a long time.
Clinical context
Working up chronic rhinosinusitis properly
A condition like chronic rhinosinusitis is rarely well-served by jumping straight to treatment shopping. The sequence below is what a ent / otolaryngology specialist would expect to see completed — and the absence of any step is the right cue to delay travel decisions.
Diagnostic workup, in sequence
- First-line clinical assessment
History, physical exam, and risk-factor review by a senior generalist or ent / otolaryngology specialist. Symptoms list, family history, prior workup notes, and current medication list should travel with the patient.
- Standard imaging + labs
Baseline blood work, condition-specific imaging (ultrasound / X-ray / MRI / CT — depending on indication), and ECG / pulmonary function as relevant. Bring digital copies of any prior imaging — saves repeat scans and the cost that goes with them.
- Specialist diagnostic workup
Procedure-specific tests — biopsy, cardiac catheterisation, endoscopy, or genetic / molecular profiling depending on the suspected diagnosis. Done at the centre that will treat, ideally, so results integrate cleanly into the treatment plan.
- Multidisciplinary review (where indicated)
Cancer, complex cardiac, transplant, and rare-disease cases should be reviewed by a multidisciplinary panel — surgical, medical, imaging, and pathology — before any treatment commits. Single-discipline plans for complex disease are a quality red flag.
When to escalate to specialist review
- New, persistent, or worsening symptoms beyond the usual pattern — particularly anything that disrupts work, sleep, or daily function for >2 weeks.
- Symptoms accompanied by red-flag features (unintentional weight loss, night sweats, bleeding, severe pain, neurological signs).
- Any "this feels different" instinct — especially with recurrent or chronic conditions where you know your baseline well.
- A second-opinion misalignment with your current care plan — when two qualified clinicians disagree, the case warrants a third review before committing.
Before you book international travel
- Confirm your specific diagnosis is fully worked up before you commit to a treatment plan abroad. Travelling for the workup is fine; travelling for treatment without the workup done is not.
- Get your case reviewed remotely by the destination centre's team before you book flights — credible international patient programs review imaging + reports before they confirm the surgical plan.
- Bring a digital + physical copy of your full medical record: imaging on USB drive in DICOM format, labs in PDF, current medication list with dosages, allergies, and any prior surgical reports.
- Plan for the post-op rehabilitation phase before you fly — the surgery itself is rarely the bottleneck.
- Confirm that follow-up imaging and any necessary in-person reviews can be done at home — a treatment plan that requires repeat international trips is more burdensome (and more expensive) than the headline procedure.
Methodology and editorial standards
This chronic rhinosinusitis overview is written by the editorial team from published ENT / Otolaryngology sources and lists 2 treatment options offered by hospitals on our network. The page shows its last-updated date. Clinical descriptions are editorial — your treating clinician confirms what's right for your specific case.
- Hospital data. Hospital details are compiled from public sources and hospital websites. Accreditation (JCI, NABH and others) is shown where we hold a record of it. Always ask the hospital for its current certificate.
- Doctor credentials. Qualifications, specialty and bio come from the doctor's hospital profile. Licence is checked against the national medical-council register only where the profile shows a "Licence verified" badge with a date.
- Prices. Price ranges are indicative, compiled from hospital price lists and packages and shown with the date last updated. The hospital's written quote is what you pay against.
- Clinical text. Written by the Medcasts editorial team from published clinical sources. Unless a named reviewer is shown on the page, it has not been reviewed by a doctor.
- Independence. Hospitals cannot pay to change their position on our pages.
Chronic Rhinosinusitis
Continue evaluating chronic rhinosinusitis care
Condition overview is one entry. These hubs route the same care decision via specialty, surgeon, treatment, and destination — including the doctors actively treating chronic rhinosinusitis.
- Surgeons Doctors treating Chronic Rhinosinusitis Volume-ranked specialists across all relevant specialties.
- Specialty ENT / Otolaryngology hub Programs, surgeons, hospitals across ent / otolaryngology.
- Procedure Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS) First-line treatment with success rates, recovery, hospital pricing.
- Procedure Balloon Sinuplasty Alternative treatment path with cost and recovery data.
- Browse All 79 conditions Map condition → specialty → first-line treatment.
- Browse 9 destination countries Cost-of-care profiles, hospital programs, visa playbooks.
- Compare Hospital comparison Side-by-side accreditations, ratings, beds, and pricing.
- Compare Doctor comparison Surgeons compared on volume, fees, languages, video-consult availability.
- Tool Match-me triage Three questions, get a specialty + destination + 3-hospital shortlist.
- Tool Cost calculator Hospital-reported pricing across procedures × destinations.
- Action Free second opinion Independent panel review of your case in 48 hours — no charge.
Next step · Chronic Rhinosinusitis
Free second opinion on your Chronic case.
Share imaging and the current plan. Multidisciplinary board returns a written opinion within 5–10 working days — no obligation to travel.