Influence of intraoperative antroscopy on surgical treatment of the maxillary antrum

Antroscopy is being used with increasing frequency but its optimum role in clinical practice is still being clarified. One hundred antroscopies were carried out intraoperatively on 50 consecutive patients admitted for non-urgent, intranasal and/or paranasal sinus surgery. A specific surgical procedure had been planned on 28 individual maxillary antra. In the remaining 72 antra, no such procedure was planned. As a result of the antroscopic findings, the surgical procedure was changed in 16% of the total sinuses. In 10% a more extensive, and in 6% a less extensive procedure was carried out than had been envisaged prior to antroscopy. It is concluded that intraoperative antroscopy is extremely helpful in selecting the appropriate procedure, if any, to carry out on the maxillary antrum.