Ethmoidectomy combined with superior meatus enlargement increases olfactory airflow.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The relationship between a particular surgical technique in endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) and airflow changes in the post-operative olfactory region has not been assessed. The present study aimed to compare olfactory airflow after ESS between conventional ethmoidectomy and ethmoidectomy with superior meatus enlargement, using virtual ESS and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis.

Study design

Prospective computational study.

Materials and methods

Nasal computed tomography images of four adult subjects were used to generate models of the nasal airway. The original preoperative model was digitally edited as virtual ESS by performing uncinectomy, ethmoidectomy, antrostomy, and frontal sinusotomy. The following two post-operative models were prepared: co

SUBMITTER: Nishijima H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5562944 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature