[Personal experiences with endoscopic endonasal surgical technique in therapy of sinusitis in childhood]

At the ENT-Department of the University-Hospital of Graz the endoscopic-endonasal surgical approach according to Messerklinger and Stammberger has been used for years in the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the paranasal sinuses in the paediatric population. Especially in children this technique concern the growing facial part of the skull and tooth buds. It is very safe and effective, since it is adapted to the physiology and pathophysiology of the respiratory mucosa. In a retrospective study 145 patients who were operated on within 11 years at the ENT-Department of the University-Hospital of Graz, were investigated to evaluate this method. Information about the age of patients, preoperative symptoms, predisposing factors, indications for surgery, the operative procedure itself and its extension such as intraoperative problems and complications were included in this study. By a subjective patient evaluation the stress placed on the patient by the procedure and the therapeutic success were investigated. From the good results of this study we infer the justification for the primary use of this surgical method in inflammatory diseases of the paranasal sinuses in children.