The pioneers of the sinus maxillaris diaphanoscopy (transillumination).

As soon as Edison's lamp was introduced in Europe at the end of 19th century, three ENT surgeons emerged as the pioneers of maxillary sinus diaphanoscopy. Cozzolino was the first to introduce an Edison lamp through the mouth into the oropharynx to inspect the nasal fossae. Voltolini, by moving the lamp forward into the mouth, discovered the maxillary sinus diaphanoscopy. Heryng codified the clinical significance of the maxillary sinus diaphanoscopy.

[The maxillary sinus and its illness in the history of rhinology. Images from the history of otorhinolaryngology, highlighted by instruments from the collection of the German Medical History Museum in Ingolstadt]. / Die Kieferhöhle und ihre Erkrankungen in der Geschichte der Rhinologie. Bilder aus der Geschichte der Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde, dargestellt an Instrumenten aus der Sammlung im Deutschen Medizinhistorischen Museum in Ingolstadt.

ANATOMY: In ancient times the paranasal sinuses, without any anatomical differentiation, were thought to be a system of hollow spaces through which mucus produced by the brain was drained. Leonardo da Vinci in Milano in 1489 was the first to prepare and draw anatomical specimens of the paranasal sinuses; the drawings, however, only became accessible to scientific evaluation as late as 1901. N. Highmore in England in 1651 presented the first detailed description and drawing of the maxillary sinus, and hence it is named Highmore's antrum. C. V. Schneider in Wittenberg, Germany, in 1660 realized that the mucus is not a product of the brain but is produced by the mucous lining of the region itself. F. G. J. Henle in Berlin in 1841 differentiated between various epithelia and described the special function of the ciliated epithelium of the respiratory tract. FROM OZENA TO SINUSITIS: In ancient times the word ozena originally denoted any kind of foul breath, but in the 1st and 2nd century AD (Celsus, Galenus) the term became restricted to foul odor coming from the nose. J. Drake and W. Cowper in England in 1707 reported that in some cases ozena was due to suppuration in the maxillary sinus and could be cured by extraction of a tooth and opening the sinus via the alveolus. L. H. Runge in Rinteln, Germany in 1750 compiled a nearly complete systematic survey of all diseases localized in the maxillary sinus. EARLY STAGES OF SURGERY: A. L. B. B. Jourdain in France in 1765 tried to cure suppurations of the maxillary sinus by irrigation via the natural ostium in the middle nasal meatus, however, his method did not meet with approval. L. Lamorier in Montpellier in 1743 opened the maxillary sinus form the buccal cavity, but his paper was only published in 1768. Lamorier's method and opening the sinus via a dental alveolus remained standard procedures for a long time. K. Ziem in Danzig, Germany, in 1886 analyzed 26 cases of chronic suppurations discharging from the nose, among them his own history, and found out that they can originate from different foci and that the treatment must be centered around the relevant focus. CLASSICAL OPERATIVE PROCEDURES: J. Mikulicz-Radecki in Vienna in 1886 was the first to open the maxillary sinus from the inferior nasal meatus. G. W. Caldwell in New York in 1893 published his method: opening the canine fossa wall, removal of the mucous membrane, and opening a window in the lateral wall of the inferior nasal meatus. G. Boenninghaus in Breslau, Germany, in 1896 was the first in Europe to adopt this method, and he modified it by placing a mucosal flap in the window. Unaware of Caldwell's publication, H.-P. Luc in Paris in 1897 reported on his own operative procedure, which in fact was identical to that of Caldwell's. DEVELOPMENT DURING THE LAST 100 YEARS: The operative procedures and especially the preoperative diagnosis were continually improved so that the surgical treatment of chronic suppurations of the maxillary sinus reached a high standard. During the last decades less radical interventions using an endonasal approach by endoscopy have partly superseded the classical procedures. This development is described in great detail with literal quotations of the original papers, anecdotal details, and illustrations.

100 years of frontal sinus surgery.

The surgical treatment of chronic inflammatory frontal sinus disease over the past century has varied between intranasal and external procedures. There has been constant modification of these techniques; however, a single approach that will lead to relief of symptoms, eradication of disease with preservation of function, and a minimum of deformity has not yet been attained. The functional theory of sinus disease, the evolution of endoscopic techniques, and data provided by the computed tomography scan have renewed our interest in the anatomy of the lateral nasal wall and endonasal surgery. Extensive literature exists concerning the results of ethmoid, maxillary, and sphenoid endoscopic surgery. However, detailed information is not available on the treatment of inflammatory frontal sinusitis. The author presents the results of a retrospective analysis of a series of 101 patients with inflammatory frontal sinusitis who underwent endoscopic surgery that included the frontoethmoid complex. Results for improvement of symptoms as well as endoscopic findings are presented. Relief of symptoms was significant but did not correlate with postoperative endoscopic findings in patients with hyperplastic and polypoid sinusitis. Patients with anterior ethmoid cell encroachment on the frontal sinus outflow tract had a positive correlation between improvement of symptoms and postoperative endoscopic findings. Frontal recess stenosis was associated with a poor outcome. Anatomic obstruction of the frontonasal duct is most consistent with the functional theory of sinusitis.

Jaws revisited: Costen's syndrome.

Although James Costen was not the first to ascribe ear pain, tinnitus, impaired hearing, and even dizziness to temporomandibular joint dysfunction, he developed an integrated and systematic approach ascribing the symptoms to dental malocclusion. He wrote extensively on it, and a few years after his original article, the term Costen's syndrome came into general use. Recently, the use of the eponym has decreased, as dental malocclusion has assumed a lesser role in explaining many of the symptoms formerly ascribed to it.

[History of surgical interventions in the paranasal sinuses]. / Zur Geschichte operativer Eingriffe an den Nasennebenhöhlen.

Hippocratices was the first to describe lesions that obstruct the nasal passages. Andreas Vesalius described the maxillary, frontal, and sphenoid sinuses. Mikulicz, Lothrop and Claoué are considered to have been the first to perform inferior meatal antrostomy of the maxillary sinus. Siebenmann was apparently the first to recommend suprameatal antrostomy in the middle meatus, which is now fashionable again. Grünwald, Hajek, Killian, Halle and Uffenorde developed endonasal ethmoid surgery to an established procedure.