Postraumatic frontal sinus obliteration with calvarial bone dust and demineralized bone matrix: a long term prospective study and literature review

Defining the ideal material for frontal sinus obliteration remains controversial. Autogenous cancellous bone is effective because of its biological properties: it undergoes fast revascularization acting as an active scaffold for bone healing, but is linked to additional donor site morbidity. Bone dust harvesting from the skull surface produces no sequelae but availability is limited. Many efforts have been made to overcome these drawbacks, and an ideal bone substitute sought. Demineralized Bone Matrix (DBX; Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation, Edison, NJ, USA) is a commercially available product composed of demineralized bone particles reduced after proper processing of human bone in combination with sodium hyaluronate. It generates an osteoconductive surface and it is also a source of osteoinductive factors. Radiological follow-up using computed tomography is a very reliable method of following-up ossification and detecting the early signs of possible complications. The authors present their clinical series of postraumatic frontal sinus obliteration using a mixture of calvarial bone dust and DBX shell, with long-term radiological monitoring. The technique was demonstrated to be effective, reliable, stable in the long term and associated with minimal morbidity.