A NEW OPERATION SYSTEM FOR FUNCTIONAL END OSCOPIC SINUS SURGERY (FESS)

Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is the treatment of choice in the majority of chronic inflammatory diseases of the paranasal sinu ses. Currently used surgical instruments for FESS are based on a ''gra b and. tear''-approach, thus predisposing to increased bleeding - espe cially in nasal polyps - which can significantly reduce the visual fie ld and might lead to consecutive complications, including the injury o f the anterior skull base and optic nerve. In the present paper the au thor introduces a new surgical system, invented by Setliff and Parsons (8), which enables the rhinosurgeon to operate in a near-bloodless fi eld, thus providing an unimpaired vision or a safer approach to the pa ranasal sinuses. In addition, the system ensures meticulous cutting of tissue instead of tearing, which also reduces the risk of complicatio ns. Our experiences with the ''micro debrider system'' have confirmed the usefulness of this instrumentarium, especially in the operative ma nagement of nasal polyps, in terms of less traumatic surgery and bette r visual field thus implying fewer complications during FESS.