Canine fossa puncture in endoscopic sinus surgery: report of two cases

Introduction Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis is a common chronic disease that often affects maxillary sinus. Endoscopic sinus surgery is the most common procedure for treating the majority of maxillary sinus lesions. Objective To demonstrate the role of canine fossa puncture during endoscopic sinus surgery procedure in patients with severe maxillary sinus disease. Methods We present 2 cases where canine fossa puncture has been performed as method to obtain a complete access to the maxillary antrum. Results According our experience, 2 cases on 296 endoscopic sinus surgery (0.6%) where antrostomy and used of angled microdebrider were not sufficient, canine fossa puncture has been performed as an alternative method to obtain a complete access to the maxillary antrum. Conclusion Although the advent of endoscopic sinus surgery, our cases support the fact that actually canine fossa puncture is a minimally invasive technique useful in selected cases.