Experience of a permanent ventilation and drainage system in the management of purulent maxillary sinusitis.

Fifty patients with purulent maxillary sinusitis, 11 patients with pressure-induced maxillary pain, and 14 patients undergoing maxillary sinus surgery were treated with a new type of permanent ventilation and drainage tube. With use of local anesthesia and as an office procedure, an inferior meatus antrostomy was performed with a circular-bore trephine, and a medical-grade, x-ray-dense silicone tube was inserted to secure the ventilation and drainage. Experience of 14 months of clinical use demonstrated a high success rate (92%) in cases of recurrent and chronic purulent sinusitis. All patients with pressure-induced pain were free from symptoms throughout the observation time. Only a few minor complications were observed. Among the advantages of the method is a more aggressive and early treatment in cases of purulent maxillary infections, possibly prior to the development of irreversible mucosal damage.