Loyola Medicine

MAYWOOD, Ill. – Anti-snoring expert Dr. Joseph M. Scianna has joined Loyola University Health System as instructor, department of otolaryngology – head and neck surgery, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood. He will co-direct Loyola’s Nasal Sinus Center. Scianna is trained in the Pillar® Procedure, the new nonsurgical snoring treatment that requires only local sedation and is done on an outpatient basis. More than 90 million people in the United States snore and an estimated 37 million of these are chronic snorers. Snoring can interfere not only with the individual’s sleep, but may also disrupt the sleep of those nearby. To silence the sounds of snoring—generated by vibrating tissues in the mouth and throat—three matchstick-sized polyester “pillars” are inserted into the roof of the mouth. The pillars stabilize the tissue which reduces vibration. Patients do not feel the pillars. Talking and swallowing are not affected. The procedure also is FDA-approved for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the most common type of sleep apnea, where breathing stops hundreds of times each night because relaxed fatty tissues in the mouth and throat block air flow. Scianna specializes in sinus, nasal and sleep disorders as well as allergies. He is trained and certified in balloon sinusplasty, the procedure in which a balloon is inflated within the sinuses to clear them. Although this procedure has become the latest “trend,” balloon sinusplasty is appropriate only for 5 to 10 percent of patients. Most candidates for this procedure are people who have simple sinus problems related to a narrowed sinus drainage area. The procedure requires actual surgery and the use of radiation. Loyola’s Nasal Sinus Center offers comprehensive assessment, diagnosis and treatment of nasal and sinus problems, including post-nasal drip, blocked nasal breathing, nasal drainage, headaches and forehead pain. Patients need to be evaluated on an individual basis. Many sinus problems can be treated with medication and do not require any procedure. Scianna will see patients at the Loyola Outpatient Center on the Loyola University Medical Center campus, Maywood; Loyola Ambulatory Surgery Center at Oakbrook, Oakbrook Terrace; and Loyola’s Center for Health at Hickory Hills. Scianna is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery; the American Rhinologic Society; and the Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery. To schedule an appointment with a Loyola physician, call toll-free (888) LUHS-888 and ask for extension 71000.