Sinonasal Disorder Services for Children

Sinonasal experts at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone manage conditions affecting the nose and sinuses in children. Our specialists work with you and your child to diagnose and create care plans for the following:

  • acute and chronic sinusitis
  • allergy-related nasal and sinus congestion
  • chronic nosebleeds
  • deviated septum
  • nasal polyps
  • rhinitis or stuffy nose
  • taste and smell problems caused by blocked sinonasal passages

In addition, we manage congenital conditions, meaning those that are present at birth, that cause problems with the sinuses and the nasal passages. These conditions include choanal atresia, which is a narrowing at the back of the nasal cavity, and pyriform aperture stenosis, in which an overgrowth of the top jaw causes the front part of the nose to be too narrow.

Our team of specialists includes pediatric otolaryngologists, ear, nose, and throat doctors; rhinologists, nose and sinus doctors; and experts in the Pediatric Allergy Program. We also collaborate with doctors at the Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis Center to provide care to children who have cystic fibrosis, which can lead to ongoing problems with secretions in the nasal cavity.

Thorough Sinonasal Evaluation

Our doctors provide the latest diagnostic approaches to determining the cause of your child’s sinonasal problems. To make a diagnosis, we perform nasal endoscopy. In this procedure, a narrow, flexible tube with a tiny fiber-optic camera on the end is inserted through the nose to view the nasal passages and sinuses. We may also order a CT scan to further evaluate the sinuses.

Allergy specialists can perform tests if we suspect allergies or asthma is playing a role in chronic sinonasal problems like sinusitis.

Personalized, Child-Centered Treatment Plans

Our physicians create individualized care plans for your child that may include the following treatments:

  • nasal steroid sprays or oral steroids to manage inflammation of the nasal passages and sinuses
  • antibiotics to manage acute sinusitis
  • allergy medications, such as antihistamines or decongestants
  • endoscopic sinus surgery to remove blocked sinus passages causing sinusitis
  • polypectomy, or nasal polyp surgery
  • septoplasty, or surgery to correct a deviated septum

If surgery is part of the care plan, child life specialists at Sala Institute for Child and Family Centered Care are available to provide comfort and support to your child.