title: Use of a Foley catheter for short-term drainage in frontal sinus surgery.
abstract: Frontal sinus surgery for chronic disease presents a variety of problems, in particular that of drainage. No matter how successful the surgical technique is in clearing disease from the sinus, it is still important that the fronto-nasal duct is kept patent unless the procedure is an obliterative one. Usually a tube is inserted for drainage and has to be kept in place for several weeks or months. This paper presents a study of 16 patients, suffering from frontal sinus disease, in whom a short-term drainage technique using a Foley catheter was employed between 1979 and 1988 at Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. This type of drainage allows effective anchorage and irrigation with a decongestant. It has been found to give satisfactory results after 14 days in place and has had no unusual complications. It is therefore recommended for use in such cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of E.N.T., University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Ijaduola
mesh_terms: D002404:Catheterization; D004322:Drainage / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005626:Frontal Sinus / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D011182:Postoperative Care