Long-term effect of stenting after an endoscopic modified Lothrop procedure.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to study the effect of stenting with a silastic sheet on the long-term patency of the common frontal ostium after an endoscopic modified Lothrop procedure (EMLP).

METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed of prospectively collected data at an academic tertiary referral center, where 72 patients underwent an EMLP between 1996 and 2003. Patency of the common frontal ostium was studied as an ordinal variable with three classes (patent, stenotic, and closed).

RESULTS: A common ostium was endoscopically visualized in 94% of the patients (61.1% patent and 33.3% stenotic). Symptoms improved in 75% of the patients. A significant positive correlation was found between ostium patency and symptom improvement. Twenty-five patients were stented postoperatively. There was no statistical difference between the stented and the nonstented groups with regards to ostium patency and symptoms improvement.

CONCLUSION: Short-term stenting does not appear to reduce the rate of postoperative stenosis of the common frontal ostium after an EMLP.