Reduction of the Isolated Anterior Wall of the Maxillary Sinus Fracture with Double Urinary Balloon Catheters and Fibrin Glue

BACKGROUND: Conservative treatment is performed for isolated anterior wall of the maxillary sinus fractures, in many cases when the fracture is clinically not severe and asymptomatic. Despite the absence of symptoms, complications such as sinusitis, rhinitis, and chronic purulent secretion may develop; therefore, successful reduction is required. We attempted to reduce the risk of complications using an alternative technique: reduction of the fracture with two urinary balloon catheters inserted through the maxillary ostium and fixation using fibrin glue, which minimizes the damage to the bony fragments and sinus mucosa. METHODS: In this study, 38 patients who were diagnosed with an isolated anterior wall of the maxillary sinus fracture at our hospital between January 2014 and January 2017 were enrolled. The fracture site was exposed via the Caldwell-Luc approach followed by reduction through the insertion of two urinary balloon catheters using a nasal endoscope and fixation with fibrin glue. The sex, cause of fracture, physical examination, and presence of complications were examined and patient's medical records and facial bone computed tomography scans were analyzed. RESULTS: Radiological evaluation showed that there was no evidence of collapsed reduction fragments. Although some patients had remaining symptoms of hypoesthesia (15%; 3 patients), there were no complications such as infection, rhinitis, sinusitis, and chronic purulent secretion at the surgical site. CONCLUSION: In this study, we present an alternative surgical technique using two urinary balloon catheters and fibrin glue for the successful reconstruction of an isolated anterior wall of the maxillary sinus fracture. This technique enables precise restoration with a reduced risk of complications.