Morphometric evaluation of paranasal sinuses for endoscopic sinus surgery.

Endoscopic surgical treatment of paranasal sinus infections is currently being applied in many Otorhinolaryngology Clinics. Although high rates of success are reported with this treatment method, life threatening complications sometimes do occur due to disorientation, especially when angled telescopes are used. In order to avoid such complications, we evaluated the distances from the anterior nasal spine to various important anatomic structures encountered during endoscopic surgery. The measurements obtained by a morphometric anatomic study of cadavers are presented in this study. We believe that if surgery is carried beyond the measured distances, serious complications may ensue during endoscopic surgery.