Repair of oroantral fistula via modified endoscopic medial maxillectomy with free nasal mucoperichondrial-osteal graft

AbstractBackground: Many techniques have been proposed to close an oroantral fistula (OAF), with most of them involving transoral repairs with oral soft tissue flaps. An additional Caldwell-Luc approach or endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is required to address coexisting maxillary sinusitis.Objectives: This study presents the endonasal closure of an OAF through modified endoscopic medial maxillectomy (MEMM) with a free nasal mucoperichondrial-osteal graft.Materials and methods: Sixteen OAF patients who underwent closure operations in our department from May 2013 to June 2018 were retrospectively reviewed.Results: The main cause of OAF was maxillary dental cysts (56.25%). The OAF size ranged from 2 × 2 to 10 × 15 mm. The first molar (62.5%) was the most frequently involved tooth. All closures were made via MEMM, using nasal mucoperichondrial-osteal grafts harvested from the septum or nasal base. All patients were followed up for at least six months. Successful closure after a single procedure was achieved i...