Endoscopic evaluation of the bone-added osteotome sinus floor elevation procedure.

Sinus floor augmentation using the bone-added osteotome technique (BAOSFE) has been advocated as a predictable procedure when initial residual bone height is 4-6mm. In this report, 16 Osseotite implants were placed using the BAOSFE procedure in eight patients under endoscopic control. Intraoperative graft positioning, potential displacement of the graft material, Schneiderian membrane integrity and distension pattern were evaluated. A small-sized perforation of the sinus membrane was visualized during sinuscopic monitoring in two implant sites without significant loss of graft material confinement. Membrane vertical distension was restricted to the area surrounding the implant apices in four implant sites while a larger detachment of the membrane enfolding the implant tips, the in-between and circumferantial areas was observed in the remaining 12 sites. The two perforated sites demonstrated a localized vertical pattern of membrane distension limited to implant apices. None of the cases complicated by perforation showed clinical signs of ongoing sinus pathology throughout the follow-up period. This limited report suggests that: (1) the BAOSFE procedure in combination with implant placement yields various patterns of sinus membrane elevation; (2) potential membrane perforation may be expected when distension follows a localized vertical augmentation pattern; and (3) small membrane perforations during the BAOSFE procedure are compatible with clinically healthy postoperative sinus conditions.