Endoscope-assisted hairline approach for resecting maxillofacial masses

The endoscope-assisted hairline approach is becoming a preferred technique in several surgical disciplines because of its advantage of good cosmetic outcomes. However, such operations are not yet standard for benign lesions in the maxillofacial area due to the anatomical complexity of this region. This study describes an endoscope-assisted technique for resecting benign lesions in the maxillofacial area via a hairline approach. The clinical outcomes with this approach were compared to those obtained with the conventional transcutaneous approach. Benign maxillofacial lesions were excised via endoscope-assisted hairline approach in 27 patients and via transcutaneous approach in 28 patients. Clinical outcomes and complications related to the procedures were evaluated; the primary outcome was the efficacy of the procedure and the secondary outcome was cosmetic satisfaction. There were no significant differences with respect to overall demographic characteristics between the groups, although the operation time was longer for the hairline approach (P=0.001). Cosmetic satisfaction showed much better results for the hairline approach (P=0.001). Endoscope-assisted excision of benign maxillofacial lesions via the hairline approach is a feasible method with excellent cosmetic results.