SCARRING IN ENDOSCOPIC ETHMOIDECTOMY

The formation of postoperative adhesions is perhaps the most frequent complication of endoscopic sinus surgery. These incidents may vary from trivial, small strands of scar to serious obstructive situations that mandate further surgery. This study is a retrospective analysis of 970 endoscopic ethmoidectomies performed in 535 patients over a 5-year period and followed by a single surgeon. Postoperative follow-up ranged from 6 to 70 months. The overall incidence of postoperative adhesions of all types was 10.5% and involving 102 cases. Of these, 40 cases (4.1%) of the total required subsequent revision surgery due to obstructive scarring. Further analysis is presented, showing the effects of various surgical techniques on the development of adhesions. The incidence of postsurgical lateral adhesion of the middle turbinate was reduced in this series in procedures that incorporated partial middle turbinate resection.