[Combined-macro-micro endoscopic technique as the most advantageous endonasal sinus surgery especially for severe sinusitis: theory and surgical technique].

Functional endonasal sinus surgery (FESS) is becoming the procedure of choice for the surgical treatment of chronic sinusitis. The operation has been made possible by the introduction of the endoscope to sinus surgery. The endoscope allows a more detailed observation of ethmoid lesions, and provides direct visual access to the paranasal region which is not visible through the anterior nares. A technique which involves the exclusive use of endoscopy, endoscopic sinus surgery, presents several problems however, especially in cases of polyposis or those with excessive bleeding. For ideal sinus surgery, tools must guarantee the greatest possible safety, ease, and accuracy. None of the currently available tools is independently able to fully satisfy all three of these requirements, not even the endoscope. The anatomical region being operated on determines which of these three requirements is most critical in each phase of the surgery. Ease is most important in the nasal cavity, which has no exceptionally dangerous regions to be operated on. The quickest and simplest operation is most expedient for minimizing blood loss in severe polyposis. To achieve this objective, macroscopic manipulation using a headlamp is most suitable. There is no need to use the endoscope or microscope to remove polyps in the nasal cavity. Because almost all of the risks in sinus surgery are encountered in the ethmoid region, operation in this area demands the safest method. For example if the ethmoid cavity is filled with massive polyps, it is sometimes difficult to endoscopically detect whether orbital fat has broken into the ethmoid. To discriminate between fat and a polypoid lesion or to distinguish dura from mucoperiost during surgery, the microscope is clearly the superior tool. In region where dead angles prevent accurate manipulation, use of the endoscope is essential. To optimize success in sinus surgery using the currently available tools, the author describes a combined macro-micro-endoscopic technique (COMMET) which effectively combines use of the headlamp, the microscope, and the endoscope according to the demands of each anatomical region.