Endoscopic sinus surgery: where we are-and where we're going

Improved understanding of sinonasal mucociliary function as well as technological advancements have led to a renaissance in the management of sinonasal disease. The current techniques, and adjunctive intraoperative technologies, have allowed for a more precise and safer surgical dissection, extending this surgical application to include the routine endoscopic management of skull base lesions and sinonasal malignancies. The anatomic boundaries of the nasal endoscope continue to be redefined. This paper will review the recent advances in the field of surgical rhinology as well as discuss directions for the future.

Advancements in imaging technology including image acquisition, three-dimensional reconstruction, stereotactic navigation, and CT-MRI fusion have aided in more thorough preoperative planning, enabling safer and more precise endoscopic surgical dissection. Refinement of endonasal powered instrumentation including microdebriders and high-speed suction irrigation drills have minimized trauma to normal tissues and accelerated postoperative healing. Increased experience with the endoscope has broadened the endoscopic ventral skull base exposure from the odontoid process to foramen ovale to the olfactory bulb.

Endoscopic sinus surgery is no longer exclusively for the management of chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyposis. Sinonasal malignancies, as well as anterior skull base lesions have become part of the rhinologist's responsibility. Furthermore, selective lesions managed through traditional craniotomies may now be accessed via trans-sinonasal transcranial endoscopic routes.