Endoscopic surgery in rhinology and ophthalmology

The rapid development of endoscopic methods in many fields of surgery has been possible by the fiberoptic technique in connection with high-quality video representation and computer-tomograhic imaging. In rhinology, there has been a worldwide adoption of the technique in diagnostics and treatment. In the beginning, the technique was founded on concepts developed after many years of endoscopic investigation and clinical observations by W. Messerklinger and coworkers in Graz, Austria, with later contributions from other European ENT clinicians, and it was subsequently made popular by Kennedy and colleagues in the United States. Nasal and paranasal sinus endoscopy proved to be a valuable diagnostic contribution to rhinology. Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) has also proved suitable for treatment, not only of rhinologic disorders but also for some ophthalmologic and neurosurgical conditions. When properly used, ESS causes much less morbidity than does treatment with older "conventional" surgical methods. In the following discussion, I will briefly cover the pathophysiology of some of the disorders, the surgical indications and technique, as well as the results and complications of this kind of surgery.