How Are Nasal Polyps Removed? Surgery and Other Options

Surgery to remove nasal polyps is a noninvasive procedure that can effectively stop symptoms. However, doctors may recommend trying steroid medications first.

Nasal polyps can be treated surgically or nonsurgically. When discussing nasal polyp removal surgery, doctors will consider factors such as your symptom severity and whether other treatments have helped.

Talk with a doctor if you have any questions about nasal polyp removal or treatment.

This article discusses treating nasal polyps surgically and nonsurgically, as well as the procedure and outlook of people undergoing nasal polyp surgery.

Your medical team may recommend surgery if nonsurgical treatments have not improved your nasal polyps.

Surgery to remove nasal polyps is called nasal polypectomy. It does not require incisions into nasal tissue. Instead, a polypectomy involves shaving the polyp away while leaving healthy tissues intact.

You may need to follow specific preparation steps, such as not eating for a set time before the surgery. Your medical team will then perform a nasal polypectomy in the following steps:

1. A doctor will inject a local anesthetic into your nose area. They may also place surgical pads soaked in anesthetic into your nose to numb the area more.
2. They will then place an endoscope, a small, thin tube with a camera, into your nose to allow them to see inside.
3. The doctor will then remove the nasal polyps with a tool called a microdebrider. They may also use a small suction device to clear away smaller polyps.
4. Once the polyps have been removed, your medical team will send them to a laboratory for testing.
5. To help with healing, your medical team may place a stent that releases steroids into the nasal passage. Alternatively, they may ask you to use nasal steroid sprays or irrigation during recovery.
6. Finally, your medical team will ask you to wait in the clinic for a while so that they can monitor your recovery.

Doctors can perform a nasal polypectomy in their office. However, sometimes people need general anesthesia, so their medical team will perform the procedure in an operating room.

Talk with your medical team if you have any questions about preparation or recovery.

FESS is a surgery to open up drainage in the nose while leaving as much healthy tissue as possible.

A polypectomy is a version of FESS that specifically removes polyp tissue. In other cases, doctors may remove more substantial amounts of tissue with FESS, such as small amounts of bone or other tissues.

FESS is usually used to treat severe sinus problems, including sinusitis due to inflammation or infection.

Before considering surgery, doctors may recommend nonsurgical methods to treat nasal polyps. These methods involve using medications to shrink the nasal polyps or stop them from growing rather than physically removing them.

Medications for treating nasal polyps can include:

• Steroid spray or nose drops: Steroid sprays or nose drops can help shrink nasal polyps. A 2023 article notes that you may need to use them regularly for a few months before doctors recommend surgery.
• Oral steroid medications: If you have severe symptoms or other treatments have not helped, doctors may recommend taking oral steroid medications for no more than a few weeks. Oral steroids can help shrink polyps, but they may lead to side effects if used long term.

Other treatments to help relieve nasal polyp symptoms include:

• montelukast (Singulair), an anti-inflammatory medication that may help reduce nasal polyp symptoms
• nasal irrigation, a process involving using saline, steroids, or other medications to help improve nasal congestion
• antibiotics, recommended medications if you develop an infection
• antihistamines, medications used to relieve inflammation from any allergies

Talk with a doctor or pharmacist before trying new remedies or medications for nasal polyps, even if they are available over the counter.

Learn more about nasal polyps, including their symptoms, causes, and treatment.

People typically go home later the same day since the procedure is an outpatient surgery. Your medical team will give you instructions regarding recovery, such as:

• performing nasal irrigation with saline or steroid medications
• using nasal drops or sprays containing steroid medications
• taking over-the-counter pain relief medications
• sneezing with your mouth open
• avoiding blowing your nose or sniffing
• avoiding strenuous physical activity
• attending checkup appointments

Following your medical team’s recommendations are key to reducing the risk of complications and helping the surgery stay effective.

You may experience short-term symptoms, such as:

• mild pain
• bleeding
• watery discharge from the nose that may contain some blood
• nasal congestion, much like you may experience with a common cold

These symptoms may improve after a week or so.

Talk with your medical team if you have any severe or persistent symptoms after nasal polyp removal or if you have questions about recovery.

The outlook for nasal polypectomy can vary from person to person.

Successful procedures can significantly ease symptoms.

However, as with any surgery, nasal polypectomy can have risks or complications, such as:

• feeling faint during the procedure
• bleeding after the procedure
• bleeding into the eye
• low blood pressure
• side effects from steroid medications or anesthesia
• cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks, whereby the clear fluid around the spinal cord leaks into other tissues
• rarely, infection

In some cases, nasal polyps return after surgery. Still, using steroid nasal treatments after surgery and managing allergies if you have them may help reduce the risk of this happening.

A 2020 study suggests that nasal polypectomy is generally safe and effective when performed by experts.

It is not safe to pull out a nasal polyp yourself. Never attempt to have nasal polyps removed by anyone other than a medical doctor in a healthcare clinic or hospital.

Removing nasal polyps yourself may not be successful and also carries a high risk of damage or complications, such as:

• bleeding
• infection
• injury to the nasal passage

It is also easy to mistake other nasal problems or masses for nasal polyps. Attempting to remove them yourself means that a doctor will not be able to give you an accurate diagnosis. Doing so could also be dangerous, leading to seriously adverse health outcomes.

Talk with a doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment before attempting to self-treat any nasal conditions.

Learn more about nasal polyp removal.

Doctors may recommend steroid sprays or oral medications before suggesting surgery to remove nasal polyps. If these treatments do not help, a doctor can perform nasal polypectomy surgery.

Nasal polypectomy can be a quick and effective outpatient procedure. However, following your medical team’s instructions for preparation and recovery is important.

Never attempt to remove nasal polyps yourself.