Microendoscopy of the nasal cavity and the paranasal sinuses via their natural orifices

Microendoscopy of the nasal cavities and the para-nasal sinuses is a new and atraumatical method to investigate these anatomical regions which were previously inaccessible for direct visual inspection due to their special topography. By means of superfine flexible and partly actively tip controllable fiberscopes the procedure only requires local anesthesia. Microendoscopes with outside diameters of 290 to 1600 micrometers are inserted through the natural orifices or ducts of the para-nasal sinuses partly guided by actively steerable microcatheters of 5 to 9 F. The eyepiece of the scope is connected with a chip-camera simultaneously carrying the endoscopic images onto a monitor system. This new procedure contributes to a better presurgical planning and risk assessment of endonasal sinus surgery and to the avoiding of repeated x-ray imaging during the therapeutic follow up of acute and chronic para-nasal infections. Furthermore, in combination with fiber delivered laser systems, it forms the basis and technical precondition for `minimal invasive laser-assisted microsurgery' of these anatomic regions.