Maxillary cancer is the mostcommon malignancy of the paranasal sinuses and it has a relatively poor prognosis. Its diagnosis is usually made at the advanced stage because it does not have the characteristic early symptoms therefore rnakin early diagnosis very difficuly, especially in cases of a localized tumor in the antrum.
Even when the X-rays or clinical findings fail to show malignancy the least suspicion of a new growth should lead to an early biopsy and in the case where maxillary malignancy on the X-ray or clinical findings is suspected the final diagnosis should be made with histopathological findings.
Though the maxillary antral biopsy has usually been done with the Caldwell-Luc approach, in cases which had no lesions on the nasal and oral cavity, the authors developed a new and simple technique for performing the maxillary antral biopsy. Under local anesthesia, maxillary antral puncture was done with a trocar through the inferior meatus and the discharge or washing from the antrum was taken for Papanicolau staining. And then an antral biopsy was done by Nishihata´s cutting forceps through the antral window.
Of twenty cases, which were suspected of maxillary cancer and had no significant lesions in the nasal and oral cavity, three cases of maxillary cancer were confirmed histopathologically with the authors method without any complications.
This method can be done in the doctors´ office contributing to the early diagnosis of maxillary cancer, because there are no complications and it is a very simple procedure.
Though Nishihata´s cutting forceps has a limited range for performing the antral biopsy forceps should be modified with convenience.
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