[Results of the reconstructive Caldwell-Luc method of surgery on the maxillary sinus]

During the Caldwell-Luc antrum operation, there is a resultant bone defect in the area of the canine fossa. Scarry tissue from the cheek seals this defect, narrows or sometimes obliterates the antrum completely and thereby disturbs the normal physiology of the mid-face. We report about a new procedure in which the facial fenestration is primarily reconstructed by means of a trap-door like bone flap with adherent soft tissue. In this way the normal volume of the antrum remains unchanged. The irritation of the infraorbital nerve through the scar tissue which is otherwise observed after the Caldwell-Luc operation is avoided.