The use of a nasal endoscope (a small, rigid telescope) and camera during sinus surgery is now the norm for the vast majority of ENT specialists.

For nearly 100 years prior to the introduction of the endoscope, doctors had to make incisions, or cuts, in the face and scalp. These techniques are referred to as external sinus surgery.  The incisions were sometimes hidden under the lip, within creases of the facial skin, or behind the hairline. When incisions are necessary, the use of nasal endoscopes has made it possible to minimize the amount and size of the incisions.

Who is a Candidate?

External sinus surgery approaches are more frequently used alongside endoscopic techniques, or when special circumstances exist, such as massive facial trauma, acute (suddenly occurring) infection complicating the orbit or intracranial cavity (orbital or intracranial abscesses), or rare tumors.

What to Expect

The main types of external sinus procedures include:

• Caldwell-Luc surgery: In this type of external sinus surgery, the surgeon approaches sinuses though an incision beneath the lip in the oral cavity.
• External ethmoidectomy: In this technique, your surgeon accesses your sinuses through a small skin incision between the nasal bridge and the eye.
• Frontal sinus osteoplastic flap: In this procedure, the surgeon accesses the sinuses through an incision behind the hairline (top of the head). The lining is removed and fat is placed in the cavity to promote scarring and obliteration of the sinus.
• Frontal sinus trephine: During this procedure, the surgeon accesses the sinuses through an incision beneath the eyebrow.
• Weber-Ferguson incision: In this procedure, the surgeon accesses the sinuses through incisions that go across the face.

Why Choose UHealth?

Ranked No. 28 in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report. The ranking reflects the team’s dedication to excellence in research patient care and outcomes. Surgeons, audiologists, biomedical engineers, speech pathologists, researchers, and psychologists collaborate with many research programs at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to deliver the best possible multidisciplinary care to pediatric and adult ear, nose, and throat patients.

Highly specialized rhinology doctors. The experts at University of Miami Health are here to help you breathe easier, smell better, and rest better with an accurate diagnosis and leading edge treatmentin a compassionate setting. Our fellowship-trained providers specialize in the nasal airway, and our rhinology specialists have completed specialized training in nasal and sinus disorders. They have dedicated their clinical and research careers to caring for nasal and sinus disorders.

Our academic health center provides you with more treatment options. Our ENT specialists are experts in the field of rhinology. As part of an academic health center, we are proud to offer breakthrough treatments not available to other facilities in South Florida. We also offer our patients early access to clinical trials and new medical and procedural treatments. We provide comprehensive care for a wide array of rhinologic conditions, backed by expertise, research, and education.