Endoscopically guided midfacial degloving in infants for removal of congenital and acquired midfacial masses

Midface degloving allows excellent exposure for a variety of congenital and acquired pediatric facial masses. The petite facial skeleton of the infant and child, however, can limit the utility of this dissection, thereby nece ssitating external approaches and altered cosmesis. Endoscopic assistance c an aid in safe and complete removal of these masses without the need for ex ternal surgical approaches. In this series, five infants underwent midfacia l degloving for midface lesions. Those masses that could not be adequately visualized underwent midfacial degloving with endoscopic assistance. Succes sful surgical removal was accomplished without complications, with follow-u p ranging from 1 to 5 years. No surgical nasal deformity, vestibular stenos is, or decrease in midfacial growth was noted. Midfacial degloving with end oscopic guidance in selected cases is a cosmetically appealing option for l esions not otherwise resectable by standard midface degloving. (C) 1998 Els evier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.