title: Anatomical margins of uncinectomy in endoscopic sinus surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Endoscopic sinus surgery is a common and generally safe ENT procedure. Orbital injury is a rare but devastating complication. The distance between the uncinate process and the lamina papyracea is the safety margin to avoid entering the orbital cavity and has not been measured previously.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors reviewed 330 consecutive coronal CT scans of the paranasal sinuses to measure this distance and identify variation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The distance can be as narrow as 0.1 mm and varies between sides. An air cell lateral to the uncinate is not uncommon; it increases the distance considerably p < 0.001 but is frequently unilateral (22%). Gender does not have an effect on this distance p = 0.90.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is essential to carefully examine the area on a CT scan especially when performing front-to-back uncinectomy during endoscopic sinus surgery. The variation between the right and left sides should be considered to avoid unsafe assumptions.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Whipps Cross Hospital, Whipps Cross Road, London E11 1NR, United Kingdom. z.awad@imperial.ac.uk
authors: Zaid
authors: Z
authors: Awad
authors: Manoj
authors: M
authors: Bhattacharyya
authors: Samuel M
authors: SM
authors: Jayaraj
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D005004:Ethmoid Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D005005:Ethmoid Sinus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D059747:Nasal Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D010256:Paranasal Sinuses / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed