Mucosal flaps prevent neo‐osteogenesis after frontal drill‐out procedures: A computer‐assisted study

Abstract Objective Although several mucosal flap techniques have been reported to improve the outcomes in Draf IIb and Draf III procedures, there is scant knowledge on frontal ostium neo‐osteogenesis after reconstruction with mucosa flap. This study evaluates the potential benefits of mucosa flaps on frontal ostium neo‐osteogenesis after frontal sinus drill‐out procedures. Methods Forty‐three patients who underwent extended Draf IIb and Draf III were enrolled. Among them, 20 patients had frontal neo‐ostium (FNO) reconstructed by mucosal flap (group A), and 23 patients did not have neo‐ostium reconstruction (group B). The cross‐sectional area of FNO, frontonasal bone, and the amount of frontal neo‐osteogenesis (FNOG) were measured with OsiriX®. In addition, the Global Osteitis Scoring Scale (GOSS), Lund–Mackay score (LMS), and Lund–Kennedy score (LKS) were also evaluated. Results At one year postoperatively, the remaining neo‐ostium area was significantly larger in group A (p = .001), and group A had significantly less FNOG (p