Abstract
In order to clarify the status quo and problems of sinus surgeries, we sent out questionnaires to 854 ENT specialists and analysed 723 cases of rhinological surgeries in our department in the past five years. The questionnaire indicated that 69% of the responders (591 specialists) experienced serious complications, 64% and 31% of which were composed of injuries to the optic organs and injuries to the intracranial space, respectively. Blind procedures and less sufficient knowledge of surgical anatomy were pointed out by the majority as the causes of serious complications. Howerer, we would like to add three factors from the present study, that is, rhinological surgeries being regarded as merely one step of the postgraduate training rather than a special division, lack of reliable methods to instruct safe sinus surgeries, and operations under direct vision with naked eyes. Since the incidence of postoperative maxillar cyst was much high as a sequela of commonly practiced sinusectomies, Caldwell-Luc operation should be less commonly done if possible although the postoperative cyst was regarded as not related to the surgical techniques by the initial sinusectomies in the minority of the questionnaires.
