Frontal sinus osteoplastic flap: is it relevant today?

Abstract

Abstract In the present era where frontal sinus surgery is synonymous with functional endoscopic sinus surgery, we present a case series comprising six cases of varied frontal sinus pathology that were managed with an external approach using an osteoplastic flap technique. The study was carried out in the ENT Department of Calcutta National Medical College, a tertiary care center in Kolkata. A unilateral osteoplastic flap approach was adopted in three cases, of which two were reported as osteomas and one was that of inverted papilloma. Bicoronal osteoplastic flap was raised in another group, which included a case of communited fracture of the anterior wall of the frontal sinus with obvious cosmetic facial deformity, a case of fracture of the posterior wall of the frontal sinus with traumatic cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea with pneumoencephalus, and a case of plasmacytoma of the frontal sinus. The mean follow-up period ranged from 1 to 3 years. There was no recurrence of disease and no significant postoperative complications have been reported during the follow-up period so far.

Keywords

• external approach
• frontal sinus
• frontal sinus obliteration
• osteoplastic flap