Abstract: Objective To explore the clinical effects and complications of the nasal endoscopic anterior lacrimal recess approach for the treatment of inverted papillomas of the maxillary sinus. Methods Twenty-one patients with inverted papillomas of the maxillary sinus were treated in our department between September 2014 and March 2016. The operation was performed under hypotension anesthesia and treated with the endoscopic anterior lacrimal recess approach. Results The lesions were resected from all 21 patients. Postoperative pathological examination confirmed that all patients had sinonasal inverted papillomas. All of the patients exhibited satisfactory healing and no severe complications. With the exception of one patient who suffered local recurrence 6 months after operation, no patients experienced relapse. We repeated the operation through the anterior lacrimal recess and no signs of recurrence were detected at 12 months. Conclusion The endoscopic anterior lacrimal recess approach for treatment of inverted papillomas of the maxillary sinus is a minimally invasive, safe, and effective method that can be used as first-line treatment.

Key words: Anterior lacrimal recess, Inverted papilloma, Endoscopic surgical procedures, operative