Mc. Locher et al., DEVELOPMENT OF THE FRONTAL-SINUS FOLLOWING BILATERAL FRONTO-ORBITAL OSTEOTOMIES, Journal of cranio-maxillo-facial surgery, 26(3), 1998, pp. 129-135
The presence of frontal sinuses following bilateral fronto-orbital adv
ancement is discussed controversially in the literature. In a retrospe
ctive study, 33 patients (18 male and 15 female) were operated on betw
een 1982 and 1993, with at least one year postoperative follow-up and
with a minimum age of 6 years at the end of the,follow-up period follo
wing bilateral fronto-orbital remodelling, were included. The average
age at which the procedure was performed was 29 months with a minimum
of 3 months and a maximum of 7.8 years. The study presented shows a pn
eumatization of the frontal sinus in 72.7% of 33 patients following bi
lateral fronto-orbital advancement. The first radiographic signs of si
nus development were detected between the ages of 4 and 11, average 8.
3 years. There were no statistically proven correlations between front
al sinus pneumatization and age at operation or the amount of advancem
ent or sex of the patients. Surgical enlargement of the cranium by fro
ntal advancement with adequate stabilization results in an enlargement
of the neurocranium, thereby decreasing pressure on the inner frontal
cortex and allowing frontal sinus pneumatization to proceed normally.
Hence, the development of a frontal sinus may be a reflection of the
effectiveness of the surgical therapy.