Reevaluation of maxillary sinus surgery: experimental study in rabbits.

Functional endoscopic sinus surgery concentrates primarily on the removal of ostiomeatal complex disease. When required, maxillary sinus ostioplasty is performed. However, surgical widening of a sinus ostium is contrary to common precepts. A study therefore was performed to reevaluate the effects of antrostomies and of intrasinus mucosal removal. Widening of the natural ostium, a separate antrostomy at some distance from the ostium, or radical mucosal removal was performed on 30 rabbits. Fifteen sinuses were used as controls. After 6 to 8 weeks the status of the sinus mucosa and mucociliary clearance was studied. The study confirmed that mucociliary clearance continued toward the natural ostium following inferior antrostomy. Following widening of the natural ostium, mucociliary clearance through the ostium redeveloped in 11 of 18 sinuses but was typically imperfect. There were no cases of ostial closure; however, the incidence of infection was significantly higher in all three experimental groups than in the control group.