Submucous inferior turbinotomy cooperating with combined antrostomies for endonasal eradication of severe and intractable sinusitis.

OBJECTIVE

This paper aims to prove the usefulness of submucous inferior turbinotomy cooperating with the combined middle and the inferior antrostomies in endoscopic endonasal sinus surgery (ESS), enabling the eradication of severe maxillary sinusitis without extranasal approaches. The long-term surgical outcomes of 22 adult patients are presented together with details of this procedure.

METHODS

Subjects comprised 22 adult patients with severe unilateral maxillary sinusitis, showing total opacification on computed tomography and failure of medical treatments preoperatively. Patients who could be managed using conventional ESS methods were excluded. Endoscopic submucous resection of the inferior turbinate bone including the uncinate process was first performed. The procedure aimed to make both the middle and the inferior nasal meatus wide enough to eradicate the sinus disease, cooperating with combined antrostomies.

RESULTS

Pathology comprised multiple massive polyposis including antrochoanal polyps in 6 and fungal ball in 16 patients. Neither surgical complications nor recurrent disease was seen postoperatively in any patient. Postoperative endoscopic management via both openings was easy and facilitated the restoration of mucosal lining in the sinus.

CONCLUSION

We proved our new surgical procedure was useful in ESS without any extranasal approaches, although applied to unilateral lesions in the current study. Postoperative management via the middle and the inferior meatal openings helped to facilitate postoperative mucosal healing.