title: Endoscopic management of failed frontal sinus obliteration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Frontal sinus obliteration (FSO) traditionally has represented the final stage in the algorithm for difficult to manage frontal sinus disease. In addition, FSO has been used in selected cases of frontal sinus trauma. However, this procedure has been associated with failure in 5-10% of cases. Advances in surgical instrumentation and image-guided surgical navigation have permitted endoscopic management of these failures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven patients presenting with failure of a previously performed FSO were managed endoscopically with the assistance of image-guided surgical navigation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Initial frontal sinus pathology included chronic inflammatory disease in six patients and frontal sinus trauma in two patients. Two patients underwent obliteration after neurosurgical frontal craniotomy and one patient underwent obliteration after curettage of a frontal sinus ossifying fibroma. Frontal sinuses were obliterated with fat in eight cases, bone chips in two cases, and bone cement in one case. The mean time interval to FSO failure was 11.1 years (range, 4 months-35 years). The etiology of failure included mucocele in eight patients, chronic frontal sinusitis in two patients, and Pott's puffy tumor in one patient. All 11 patients were managed endoscopically, of which 3 patients underwent a trans-septal frontal sinusotomy. Two patients required revision endoscopic surgery, but all were patent at last follow-up (mean, 14.8 months).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endoscopic management of failed FSO may be performed safely. These approaches are viable alternatives to open revision procedures in the management of failed FSO.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: Rakesh K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Chandra
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: James N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Palmer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D005626:Frontal Sinus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009078:Mucocele / Q000601:surgery; D010254:Paranasal Sinus Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D012086:Reoperation; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D017211:Treatment Failure