Turbinate stitch: modification of Ahmed’s three-layered flap for oroantral fistulas. A technical note

Abstract

Oroantral fistula is a communication between the maxillary sinus and the oral cavity. According to the literature, dental extraction is the most common cause, followed by maxillary cysts, benign or malignant lesions, and trauma. 1 Güven O. A clinical study on oroantral fistulae. J Craniomaxillofac Surg. 1998; 26: 267-271 Crossref PubMed Scopus (75) Google Scholar , 2 Yilmaz T. Suslu A.E. Gursel B. Treatment of oroantral fistula: experience with 27 cases. Am J Otolaryngol. 2003; 24: 221-223 Crossref PubMed Scopus (30) Google Scholar , 3 Abuabara A. Cortez A.L. Passeri L.A. et al. Evaluation of different treatments for oroantral/oronasal communications: experience of 112 cases. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2006; 35: 155-158 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (91) Google Scholar Various techniques have been described for repair of the fistula, using buccal fat, palatal rotational flaps, and serratus anterior flaps. 4 Môczair L. A new surgical method of closure of oroantral fistula of odontogenic origin. Ann Stomatol (Roma). 1930; 28: 1087-1088 Google Scholar A new and extremely effective method for addressing larger defects is a vascularised three-layered technique recently described by Darr et al. 5 Darr A. Jolly K. Martin T. et al. Three-layered technique to repair an oroantral fistula using a posterior-pedicled inferior turbinate, buccal fat pad, and buccal mucosal advancement flap. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2018; 56: 638-639 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (2) Google Scholar Recurrence and chronicity is a major issue, which is mainly due to trauma, sinus disease, or edentulousness. We describe a modification of the three-layered flap for better outcomes for recurrent oroantral fistula.