Micro-endoscopic Surgery of the Maxillary Sinus

Abstract

The surgical treatment of chronic sinusitis has remained a controversial topic even though many years have passed since the first maxillary-sinus explorations were performed. The performance of the first endonasal antrostomy is attributed to Gooch [3] in the second half of the 18th century, but it quickly fell into disuse until it was reintroduced and described again by Mikulicz in 1866 [12]. Both the American Walter Caldwell (1893) and the Frenchman Henry Luc (1897) independently described the transcanine approach to the maxillary sinus, with opening of a nasoantral window through the inferior meatus [13]. From these two techniques, two separate surgical philosophies developed: the conservative one (which utilizes antrostomy) and the radical one (which was called transbuccal radical antrostomy, better known as the Caldwell-Luc operation). The first technique was not well received, primarily because techniques at that time gave poor lightning and visibility, hemorrhage was common, the procedure was quite traumatic and, in a number of cases, the new communication with the sinus closed, causing relapse of the disease.