Objective
To determine the effect of absorbable stenting on postoperative stenosis of the surgically enlarged maxillary sinus in a rabbit model.
Design
A randomized controlled animal study with each specimen serving as its own control. Animals had their maxillary ostia surgically enlarged bilaterally. Video images were made of each enlarged ostia. Unilateral stenting was performed using rolled absorbable stenting (Gelfilm, Upjohn Co, Kalamazoo, Mich). The animals were killed at 3 months and repeated images were made of each ostia. An image processing system (IBAS-AT, Kontron Instruments, Milan, Italy) was used to individually calibrate each image and then measure areas. Surgical and 3-month areas were compared with the examiner blinded to the stented side.
Subjects
Twelve specific pathogen-free New Zealand white rabbits.
Results
Stented ostia had an increased stenosis compared with unstented ostia, but this increase was not statistically significant (P=.08, Student t test). There was no within-animal change in nonstented ostia compared with an 18% decrease in the stented ostia.
Conclusions
Stenting did not statistically change the amount of stenosis of the surgically enlarged ostia in a rabbit model, although a trend toward more scarring when compared with the nonstented side was observed.
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1996;122:1395-1397
