Sinus Pack for maxillary sinus augmentation: a new technique

Aims Maxillary sinus lift is a surgical procedure suitable to restore vertical deficiencies of the posterior maxilla and can be executed either with a lateral or with a crestal approach. One of the most important aspects of a bone regeneration is the stability of the graft. The aim of this study is to introduce a new grafting technique for sinus lift with a lateral approach, which is called Sinus Pack Technique.

Methods Four patients with severe vertical atrophy of the alveolar bone in the posterior maxilla who needed unilateral dental implant rehabilitation of the edentulous maxillary region were treated according to the Sinus Pack technique- After 6 months a Computed Tomography scan was taken to assess the obtained bone volumes, implants were placed, and a bone sample was obtained with a 4mm trephine bur.

Results Three males and one female (age range 36-75 years) were treated; no intra- and post-operative complications were recorded. According to the  measurements performed on the CT scan before surgery and six months after surgery we found an average vertical gain of 6.95 mm. According to the histological and histomorphometric analysis the membrane was completely resorbed, new bone had formed and only a slight percentage of bone-filling granules was still present.

Conclusion  The Sinus Pack technique has the advantage of being a minimally invasive and safe surgery procedure, with results similar to other sinus lift techniques. More reports are needed to confirm the lower hypothesized complication rate and its efficacy.