Canine fossa puncture and clearance of the maxillary sinus for the severely diseased maxillary sinus

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the impact of canine fossa puncture (CFP) with clearance of the maxillary sinus during endoscopic sinus surgery on the subjective and objective outcomes as defined by quality of life questionnaires, endoscopic findings, endoscopic aspirate for culture and sensitivity, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation. Study Design: Retrospective, cross-sectional study. Methods: Twenty-five patients who had undergone canine fossa were compared to 12 patients who had undergone routine endoscopic middle meatal clearance of the maxillary sinus. At an average postoperative time point of 19.9 months, all patients were administered the chronic sinusitis survey (CSS) and a visual analogue scale (VAS). At this visit, patients underwent nasendoscopy, sampling of the ostial region for bacterial and fungal cultures, and MRI of the sinuses. Results: There were 42 sides for analysis from 25 patients on the study arm; the control arm comprised 12 patients with completely opacified maxillary sinuses and 17 sides for analysis. The CSS symptom subscore was better in the CFP group (Mann-Whitney test, P = .02). The overall VAS score was less in the CFP group (Mann-Whitney test, P = .01), indicating better symptom control. No opacification was evident in 61.9% of patients in the CFP group compared with 11.8% in the control arm (χ2, P < .001). Conclusion: CFP is a useful technique to address the severely diseased maxillary sinus and is associated with significantly better symptom control compared with the transnasal middle meatal antrostomy clearance of the maxillary sinus. © 2005 The American Laryngological, Rhine-logical and Otological Society, Inc.