Frontal Sinus Reconstruction Research Articles

Use of Titanium Mesh During Frontal Sinus Setback in Facial Feminization Surgery: Clinical Outcomes and Perspectives.

Brow position, hairline shape, and forehead projection may confer cis-feminine identity, and facial feminization surgery (FFS) can improve gender dysphoria among transfeminine patients. Depending on the Ousterhout classification, burring, osteotomy, anterior frontal sinus setback, and augmentation, with subsequent fixation via metal or bioabsorbable plates, can address forehead projection. However, titanium mesh, often used in frontal sinus fracture repair, has not been described for forehead contouring in FFS. The purpose of this study was to study clinical outcomes associated with the use of titanium mesh for the stabilization of bone following anterior frontal sinus setback. A retrospective cohort study of trans-female and nonbinary patients undergoing primary FFS by our senior author between January 2021 and February 2023 was performed. Variables collected include demographics, Ousterhout classification, operative details, complications, and follow-up duration. Patients with prior FFS or facial trauma were excluded. Data were analyzed using SPSS, (IBM, Armonk, NY). Forty-three transfeminine patients were included for analysis. The cohort had an average age of 33.0±8.7 years and a median follow-up time of 3.0 months (IQR = 1.0-7.0). Among our cohort, 26 patients (60.5%) received titanium mesh and 17 patients (39.5%) underwent burring only for forehead contouring. There were no reported complications (ie, infection, hardware extrusion, or mucocele formation) or a need for forehead revisions among the entire cohort regardless of the frontal sinus reconstruction material utilized. Clinical outcomes were favorable among patients receiving titanium mesh anterior table fixation during FFS. Titanium mesh can be considered as an additional technique for frontal bossing reduction and anterior table fixation in FFS.

Frontal sinus reconstruction with overlapping sinus mucosa and vascularized pericranial flap Coverage after modified transbasal bifrontal craniotomy: Novel technique and clinical outcomes

BackgroundThe modified transbasal bifrontal craniotomy is a variant of the bifrontal craniotomy with a wider surgical corridor than the standard approach. There are several methods for frontal sinus repair in bifrontal craniotomy. This study reports a novel method for frontal sinus repair in the modified transbasal interhemispheric approach by precisely overlapping the frontal sinus mucosa margin (without frontal sinus mucosa exenteration) with packing the frontal sinus with povidone-soaked gel foam and covering it with a vascularized pericranial flap. MethodsIn this case series, we retrospectively collected the clinical outcomes regarding cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage, meningitis, and mucocele formation of patients who underwent modified transbasal bifrontal craniotomy at Vara Hospital. ResultsFrom January 2016 to December 2021, 65 patients with anterior skull-base lesions were treated with a modified transbasal interhemispheric approach with frontal sinus repair by overlapping frontal sinus mucosa with gel foam packing and vascularized pericranium flap covering. There was no case of postoperative CSF leakage, meningitis, or mucocele formation during the follow-up period of 19.2 months (min 1, max 73). ConclusionsWe demonstrated that the modified transbasal interhemispheric approach with frontal sinus repair using gel foam packing and pericranial flap is effective in preventing postoperative CSF leakage and meningitis.

Frontal Sinus Mucosa Bacteriological Features: Evaluation after Unintentional Opening in Neurosurgery.

Objectives The bacteriological features of the frontal sinus mucosa may impose significant complications in neurosurgery, when breached unintentionally. This study aimed to investigate the bacterial flora in patients undergoing frontal craniotomy for cerebrovascular substrate surgery. Design This is a single-center prospective study. Setting When mucosal laceration occurred, the patients underwent frontal sinus reconstruction with mucosa reconstruction, preserving the nasofrontal duct. Participants We enrolled eight consecutive patients who underwent bifrontal craniotomy associated with frontal sinus mucosa laceration. Main Outcome Measures A portion of the mucosa was extracted during the reconstructive procedure and was sent for microbiological analysis. Results None of the patients presented with the bacterial flora in the mucosal cultures. No patient experienced postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage or meningitis. One patient with a clinical history of chronic maxillary sinusitis presented with a subcutaneous abscess around the forehead at 9 months postoperatively. The patient rapidly recovered after receiving oral administration of antibiotics. Conclusions Our findings demonstrated that the frontal sinuses were maintained in an aseptic environment in all cases. The results may encourage the development and wider use of transfrontal sinus approaches.

A practical and economical method for frontal sinus reconstruction after frontal craniotomy: A single-center experience with 140 patients.

BackgroundFrontal sinus exposure is a common consequence of frontal craniotomy. Cerebrospinal fluid leakage and infection are the major postoperative complications that may occur as a result of the open frontal sinus. The successful filling of the open frontal sinus provides an approach to prevent significant complications caused by frontal sinus exposure.ObjectiveThis article describes a new technique to reconstruct the exposed frontal sinus cavity with the combined application of gelatin sponge and a vascularized pericranial flap.MethodsA total of 140 patients underwent frontal sinus reconstruction using gelfoam and vascularized pericranial flaps from 2016 to 2021. Gelatin sponge was used to fill the frontal sinus, and a vascularized pericranial flap was used to cover the frontal sinus when the bone flap was retracted.ResultsPostoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage and infection did not occur in any patient.ConclusionOur results validated the effectiveness of our technique in the prevention of exposed frontal sinus-related postoperative complications.

Acrylic bone cement with Tutopatch for frontal sinus obliteration.

To evaluate the use of acrylic bone cement with a Tutopatch collagen implant for frontal sinus obliteration after mucocele excision using a subjective assessment of patient satisfaction. Patients with a recurrent frontal sinus mucocele with posterior table erosion, for whom an endoscopic approach was not feasible, and who underwent osteoplastic frontal sinus obliteration, were included. The post-operative outcomes were evaluated using a non-standardised questionnaire, comparing pre- and post-operative scores. All patients expressed post-operative satisfaction. Except for hyposmia, significant improvements were observed in all symptom scores. No major complications were observed during the post-operative course. Acrylic bone cement with Tutopatch can be effectively used in frontal sinus reconstruction in cases where an endoscopic approach is not feasible.

Obliteration and Contouring of Comminuted Anterior Wall Frontal Sinus Fracture Using Pericranial Flaps.

Summary:One of the common postoperative complications of comminuted fractures of frontal sinus are contour deformity, hardware extrusion, adherence and/or palpability, and skin thinning. We are presenting our novel technique with pericranial flaps to decrease these complications. The study was performed from January 2019 to January 2020, on 40 cases of comminuted fractures of anterior wall of frontal sinus, 28 men and 12 women, with an average age of 41 years. Injury resulted from motor vehicle crashes (n = 25), motorcycle crashes (n = 11), and falling from heights (n = 4). Our novel technique involves the use of two anteriorly based pericranial flaps; one flap is used for obliteration of the frontal sinus and the other is used to overlay the hardware used to restore forehead contouring and to eliminate the possibility of early extrusion or late plates or mesh palpability. Two patients had postoperative minimal disruption of forehead lacerations healed with secondary intention and minimal scarring. Excellent patient compliance without any complaint of mesh palpability. No adherence occurred and no skin thinning. This technique (two anteriorly based pericranial flaps) may be more reliable to obliterate the frontal sinus also overlaying the hardware used to improve forehead contour and decrease the incidence of mesh palpability and skin adherence than using hardware without flap coverage.

Endoscopic management of frontal sinus diseases after frontal craniotomy: a case series and review of the literature.

To evaluate frontal sinus complications developed after previous external craniotomies requiring frontal sinus reconstruction and their treatment with an endoscopic approach. We retrospectively evaluated 22 patients who referred to Sant'Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital and Bellaria Hospital (Bologna, Italy) between 2005 and 2017. All patients presented with frontal sinus disease after frontal craniotomy with sinus reconstruction performed to treat various pathological conditions. We reported our experience in the endoscopic management of such complications and we reviewed the current literature concerning the endoscopic treatment of these conditions. In total, 14 frontal mucoceles, 4 cases of chronic frontal sinusitis, 2 mucopyoceles and 2 fungus ball of the frontal sinus were identified. Endoscopic surgical treatment included 7 DRAF IIa, 1 DRAF IIb, 11 DRAF III and 3 DRAF IIc (modified DRAF III) approaches. The success rate of the surgical procedure was 86% (19/22 patients). Recurrence of the initial pathology occurred in three patients (14%) requiring a conversion of previous frontal sinusotomy into a DRAF III sinusotomy. Frontal sinusopathy can be a long-term complication following craniotomies and may lead to potentially severe pathological conditions, such as mucoceles and frontal sinus inflammation. Its management is still debated and requires recovery of the patency of nasal-frontal route. Our study confirms that the endoscopic endonasal approach may offer a valid solution with low morbidity avoiding re-opening of the craniotomic access. For selected cases, endoscopic approach could also be performed simultaneously to craniotomy as a combined surgery to reduce the risk of short- and long-term complications. Long-term follow-up is mandatory in patients with a history of opened and reconstructed frontal sinus and should include imaging and endoscopic outpatient evaluation.

Reconstruction of frontal defects with calvarial grafts.

There are many options for the reconstruction of frontal sinus wall defect resulting from injury, neoplastic lesions and aesthetic deformities. These mainly include autogenous grafts, allogenous grafts, and alloplastic materials. The aim of the present study is to report the advantages of using autogenous calvarial bone grafts over other reconstruction techniques, in the reconstruction of frontal defects. We describe 16 consecutive cases of anterior frontal sinus defects between 2004 and 2015, in which calvarial bone grafts were used. Medical records were retrospectively analysed to evaluate graft survival. Bone defects were caused by injury (3), aesthetic deformities (2), external frontal sinus surgeries (2), tumours (6: three osteomas, two fibrous dysplasias, one squamous cell carcinoma), and osteomyelitis (3). There were no significant complications during harvesting, and morbidity was minimal. Furthermore, at one and five-year follow-up, no graft resorption or rejection was noted, and cosmetic results were satisfactory. Our results indicate that calvarial bone graft is an appropriate material to use in anterior frontal sinus reconstruction.

Treatment of the Severely Infected Frontal Sinus With Latissimus Dorsi Myocutaneous Free Flaps

In trauma patients with severe intracranial hemorrhaging, diagnosing facial bone fractures can be delayed. In frontal sinus fractures with nasofrontal duct obstruction, obliteration of the nasofrontal duct and the sinus is the current treatment of choice. But with inadequate management, ascending infections happen, and widely spread infections can involve the entire frontal soft tissues, which result in meningitis, encephalitis, and subcutaneous abscess pockets creating skin defects. In the treatment of these infections, radical debridement of all infected tissues including galea, pericranium, and surrounding soft tissues is obligatory; hence, available local vascularized flap options for obliteration of the postdebridement defect are scarce. In these situations, free-tissue transfer can be a treatment option. Although there have been numerous reports of using nonvascularized materials for obliteration of the frontal sinus, the material itself can serve as a nidus for infection, and it is generally accepted that well-vascularized tissues have greater ability to withstand local soft-tissue infection and osteomyelitis. Hence, we report 3 cases where we performed latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps for severe frontal sinus infections after frontal cranioplasty for severe hemorrhaging. Large bulks of muscle obliterated the nasofrontal duct and the dead space surrounding the entire frontal sinus. The latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap is not a permanent solution for frontal sinus reconstruction, which requires a secondary bony reconstruction. However, when we face acute stages of intractable infections of the frontal sinus, it can control the infection and result in saving the patient's life.

A Pott's puffy tumour as a late complication of a frontal sinus reconstruction: case report and literature review

A Pott's Puffy Tumour (PPT) is a rare clinical entity, which, traditionally has been described as an acute abscess with periosteitis secondary to osteomyelitis of the external table of the frontal bone of the skull, complicating an acute frontal sinusitis. The aim of this article is to present a case of progressively evolving PPT, which emerged during the course of a common rhinitis, in a patient who, thirty years previously, had undergone a reconstruction of the frontal sinus involving osteosynthesis. The patient was treated with antibiotic therapy coupled with external access surgery using the Cairn Unterberger approach. This allowed the drainage of pus, the removal of infected osteosynthetic material and a complete debridement of osteomyelitic bone from the affected area. Frontal sinus obliteration was undertaken using methyl methacrylate, preferable in this case to hydroxyapatite, due to the direct communication with the neighbouring sinus cavities and the presence of defective bone in the superior orbit. A review of literature available on Medline up to January 2008 reveals that this is the third published case of PPT complicating a frontal reconstruction.

Osteosynthesis for Functional Reconstruction of Frontal Sinus Fractures

Introduction: Treatment options for anterior table fractures of frontal sinus fractures are obliteration or reconstruction of the frontal sinus. When impaired drainage of the frontal sinus is suspected obliteration is performed most commonly to avoid postoperative complications. The indication for obliteration versus reconstruction of frontal sinus remains controversial.

Immediate reconstruction of frontal sinus fractures: review of 26 cases

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate complications occurring after immediate reconstruction of severe frontal sinus fractures, including cases where the fracture was not limited to the anterior wall and also involved the posterior wall and/or sinus floor. Patients and methods The records of twenty-six patients presently undergoing follow-up for frontal sinus fracture reconstruction were reviewed. Information regarding demographics, fracture characteristics and causes, associated facial fractures, use of grafts or implants, type of fixation used, nasofrontal duct management, use of antibiotics, and complications were noted. Patients were asked to return for clinical and radiographic follow-up to access late complications. Results The average age of patients with frontal fractures was 29.1 years and 92.3% were male. Mean follow-up was 3.6 years. The most common causes of fracture were motor vehicle accidents and physical aggression. All patients presented with comminuted and dislocated anterior wall fractures, 34.6% presented with posterior wall fractures, and 46% had sinus floor fractures. Complications occurred in 7 patients (26.92%) and included pneumoencephalus, frontal cutaneous fistula, frontal bone irregularity, and sinusitis. Conclusions Frontal sinus reconstruction is a good procedure for immediate fracture treatment if there is not excessive comminution, dislocation, or instability of the posterior wall and if the frontonasal duct area is intact or can be repaired. Most complications result from incorrect indication for reconstruction.

Simple reconstruction of frontal sinus opened during craniotomy using small autogenous bone piece: Technical note

Background Accidental opening of the frontal sinuses during craniotomy can lead to various postoperative complications. We report a simple and reliable reconstruction method using no exogenous or autogenous material obtained from another site. Methods This method involves packing a small wedge-shaped piece of bone obtained from the bone flap of the craniotomy into the nasal recess of the exposed sinus. The large opened frontal sinus is reconstructed as a new minimized frontal sinus with mucous membrane and bony roof in the nasal recess. Results Eleven patients with large frontal sinus opening during craniotomy (7 cases of bifrontal craniotomy for the basal interhemispheric approach) underwent frontal sinus reconstruction by packing of a small bone piece into the nasal recess. No patients suffered postoperative complications related to the opened frontal sinus such as pneumocephalus or cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea. Conclusion Packing of a small bone piece from the bone flap is a quick and reliable method to reconstruct the frontal sinus opened during craniotomy.