A review of endoscopic surgical applications in oral and maxillofacial surgery

Abstract

This article provides an updated review of oral and maxillofacial endoscopic surgical applications in craniomaxillofacial trauma management, orthognathic surgery, sialoendoscopy, open temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthrotomy procedures, and minimally invasive arthroscopic TMJ surgery. The integration of surgical endoscopy into oral and maxillofacial procedures has yielded a seminal impact on achieving comparable or improved patient outcomes relative to open standard operations in numerous areas of maxillofacial surgery. Maxillofacial endoscopy provides assisted visualization and surgical enhancement to many classic open surgical operations. Alternatively, endoscopic maxillofacial surgical applications can be implemented as a minimally invasive (“closed”) surgical option that serves to decrease patient morbidity, shorten hospital admissions, and optimize expedited recovery and healing post-operatively. As a narrative review, this article integrates and details the key findings of the available literature on maxillofacial endoscopic surgery to provide a concise review on the subject from the background and history to a summary of each of the surgical techniques and the available outcome data on each procedure. As endoscopic maxillofacial surgery continues to gain popularity and increased global implementation due to its continued demonstrated efficacy and positive results, continual review of current techniques, applications, and outcomes are integral to the ongoing innovation and advancement of this dynamic subspecialty of maxillofacial surgery.