The role of midfacial degloving in modern rhinological practice

The midfacial degloving approach has been available for twenty five years and is slowly increasing in popularity in the management of extensive benign lesions of the sinonasal region, for selected malignancy in this area and to afford access to the nasopharynx and infra-temporal fossa. The advantages, applications and low complication rate are presented in a cohort of 86 patients, ranging from three to 79 years of age with a mean follow-up of 5.5 years. Seventy-seven per cent of the group had benign pathology of which juvenile angiofibroma was the commonest (40 cases). The 20 cases of malignant disease were a heterogeneous group histopathologically including adenoid cystic carcinoma (four cases), malignant schwannoma (two cases), rhabdomyosarcoma (two cases) and squamous cell carcinoma (two cases). Five underwent bilateral radical maxillectomies combined with orbital clearance in one patient. Complications include oro-antral fistula (three cases) and epiphora (three cases) all of which were successfully treated.