A practical and economical method for frontal sinus reconstruction after frontal craniotomy: A single-center experience with 140 patients

Reconstruction of the Large Frontal Sinus Defect With the Small Supporting Bone Pieces in Neurosurgical Anterior Skull Base Surgery

BACKGROUND

Large defects of frontal sinus (FS) might be difficult to manage effectively. Mismanagement of the large defects could lead to serious postoperative complications in anterior skull base surgery. This study introduces a simple and reliable method applying small supporting bone pieces to cover or insert into large FS defects, then the large defect of FS was transformed into the small defects which was sealed by bone wax successfully.

METHODS

Eleven patients underwent anterior skull base surgery for lesions or aneurysms, with the reconstruction of large FS defects by small supporting bone pieces. During craniotomy, mild violations of the FS mucosa were spared and sterilized, while severe violations required mucosal removal. Small supporting bone pieces were obtained from the inner plate of the bone flap and carefully covered or inserted into the large defects. The large defects were transformed into some small ones, which could be sealed effectively by bone wax. Demographic, intraoperative, and postoperative complication data were collected.

RESULTS

Four patients had severe mucosal violations requiring removal, while 7 had mild violations sparing the mucosa. All underwent effective reconstruction with small supporting bone pieces. Median follow-up was 6 months. All cases showed effective FS morphology reconstruction, with no FS-related complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Applying the small supporting bone pieces for large FS defect reconstruction can restore the FS morphology, preserve physiological function, and avoid postoperative complications.

The Usefulness of Surgical Titanium Microclips for Mucosal Repair in the Frontal Sinus Using ORBEYE: A Technical Note

Bifrontal craniotomy frequently involves opening the frontal sinus and mucosal injury. We report a new technique for mucosal repair in the frontal sinus using surgical titanium microclips. Six consecutive patients who underwent bifrontal craniotomy with frontal sinus exposure and mucosal injury underwent mucosal repair using surgical titanium microclips between April 2019 and August 2022. In all cases, the frontal sinus mucosa was peeled from the inner walls of the frontal sinus to ensure sufficient mucosal margin for clipping using ORBEYE. The repair was accomplished with the microclips in all cases. We also sealed the mucosal wound using fibrin glue and sufficiently filled the frontal sinus with bone debris, resulting in zero incidence of postoperative liquorrhea in all cases. Repairing the mucosa using surgical titanium microclips using ORBEYE may be a simple and quick technique when the frontal sinus mucosa is injured during craniotomy.

Management of Giant Frontoethmoid Osteoma by Combined Approach

Giant osteomas of the frontoethmoidal region often manifest early with ocular symptoms and intracranial complications. The management involves careful surgical planning of both the approach and reconstruction. In the present case report, a case of giant frontoethmoid osteoma presented with ocular symptoms and cosmetic deformity. The case was managed by a combined endoscopic and open surgical approach along with reconstruction of the sinus wall defect using a pericranial flap and titanium mesh. The outcome was found to be satisfactory with the resolution of ocular symptoms and good cosmesis.