2006年VOA标准英语-New Surgery Helps Sinus Sufferers

By Melinda Smith
Washington, DC
17 April 2006
 
watch Sinus Surgery report

Many people who live in climates where there is a change of seasons often experience sinus problems.  Sinus pain and headaches can be miserable¹, and for some, the only relief comes with surgery.  But as VOA's Melinda Smith reports, there is a new procedure that helps sinus sufferers breathe more easily.

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Springtime means flowering trees
  
  

Oh, the beauty of spring!  There are blossoms everywhere ... green grass ... it's a perfect time to enjoy the sunshine ... dogs in the park ... flying a kite.

But something else comes with all that outdoor activity:  pollen² and sinus problems.

It's a miserable combination: blocked sinuses, a headache that won't go away, constant pressure on the face.  It can affect daily living:

Michelle Lynch
  
  
Patient Michelle Lynch tells how it affected³ her. "I couldn't work. You can't breathe. I couldn't sleep."

The twenty-four year old had sinus pain for years.  Doctors say an abnormal bone growth in her sinus was the cause.  

 
Dr. Peter Catalano 
  
Recently she tried a new treatment.  Dr. Peter Catalano of the Lahey Clinic in Boston, Massachusetts says it often provides relief. "This is a wonderful, wonderful advantageous⁴ technology for patients."

Balloon sinuplasty opens up sinuses similar to surgery for clogged⁵ arteries⁶.

 
Sinuplasty surgery uses a ballon to inflate⁷ the sinus passage 
  
While the patient is under anesthesia, a guide-wire equipped with a tiny balloon is threaded into the nostrils⁸ ... up to the blockage⁹ ... the balloon is then inflated¹⁰ to open up the passageway.

The balloon is then deflated¹¹ and withdrawn¹².

Dr. Catalano says as the bones are fractured, they spread apart and surprisingly, the patient feels little or no pain. "The bones in the sinus drain are very soft, thin bones.  They are extremely malleable¹³."

Michelle Lynch went back to work the next day. "This procedure made a huge difference in my life.  Since the procedure I can't say I've even had a headache, and breathing is so clear."

Now she and others who have had this procedure can enjoy springtime without worry.

1 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

2 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 advantageous   

adj.有利的；有帮助的

参考例句：

• Injections of vitamin C are obviously advantageous.注射维生素C显然是有利的。
• You're in a very advantageous position.你处于非常有利的地位。

5 clogged   

（使）阻碍( clog的过去式和过去分词 )； 淤滞

参考例句：

• The narrow streets were clogged with traffic. 狭窄的街道上交通堵塞。
• The intake of gasoline was stopped by a clogged fuel line. 汽油的注入由于管道阻塞而停止了。

6 arteries   

n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道

参考例句：

• Even grafting new blood vessels in place of the diseased coronary arteries has been tried. 甚至移植新血管代替不健康的冠状动脉的方法都已经试过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is the place where the three main arteries of West London traffic met. 这就是伦敦西部三条主要交通干线的交汇处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 inflate   

vt.使膨胀，使骄傲，抬高（物价）

参考例句：

• The buyers bid against each other and often inflate the prices they pay.买主们竞相投标，往往人为地提高价钱。
• Stuart jumped into the sea and inflated the liferaft.斯图尔特跳到海里给救生艇充气。

8 nostrils   

鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her nostrils flared with anger. 她气得两个鼻孔都鼓了起来。
• The horse dilated its nostrils. 马张大鼻孔。

9 blockage   

n.障碍物；封锁

参考例句：

• The logical treatment is to remove this blockage.合理的治疗方法就是清除堵塞物。
• If the blockage worked,they could retreat with dignity.如果封锁发生作用，他们可以体面地撤退。

10 inflated   

adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨

参考例句：

• He has an inflated sense of his own importance. 他自视过高。
• They all seem to take an inflated view of their collective identity. 他们对自己的集体身份似乎都持有一种夸大的看法。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 deflated   

adj. 灰心丧气的

参考例句：

• I was quite deflated by her lack of interest in my suggestions.他对我的建议兴趣不大，令我感到十分气馁。
• He was deflated by the news.这消息令他泄气。

12 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

13 malleable   

adj.(金属)可锻的;有延展性的；(性格)可训练的

参考例句：

• Silver is the most malleable of all metals.银是延展性最好的金属。
• Scientists are finding that the adult human brain is far more malleable than they once thought.科学家发现成人大脑的可塑性远超过他们之前认识到的。