Abstract:

Objective   To explore the clinical experience in treating nasal and sinus tumor involved maxilla. Methods   Extirpation of 28 cases of tumors of the maxillary sinus by a modified midfacial degloving approach was studied during the period from 2001 to 2010 at our department. Intra-operative exposure, bleeding and surgical difficulty were observed and post-operative local appearance, functional impairment and prognosis, including the exposure for adequate tumor resection and the preservation of as much as possible functional tissue integrity were compared. Results   28 patients successfully underwent the planned procedures through the midfacial degloving approach for the treatment of the maxilla lesions without significant complications. The patients had immediate post-operative face edema and no infection occurred, but the post-operative deformity was not obvious within 3 to 5 months. Late complications, such as persistent palatal fistula occurred in 3 patients. Nasal crusting in the operative cavity were found with recent surgery effect as clean cut in all patients. About six months after the surgery, a depressed deformity in the face or the nasolabial fold were found. Rhinolalia aperta was also observed among patients with palate removal. Conclusions    The midfacial degloving approach offers good exposure for removal of extended or partial maxilla with excellent cosmetic results. Other advantages such as less operative time, less damnification, quicker recovery, and more function remaining are obvious. The mid-facial degloving technique can be considered as a valuable procedure with low mortality and excellent cosmetic outcome.

Key words:  Maxilla;  Sinus tumor;  Midfacial degloving approach