3-D based minimally invasive one-stage lateral sinus elevation – A prospective randomized clinical pilot study with blinded assessment of postoperative visible facial soft tissue volume changes

ObjectiveThe purpose of this prospective and randomized clinical study was to assess differences in patient morbidity between minimally invasive lateral sinus elevation (study group, n = 14) and conventional one-stage lateral sinus elevation (control group, n = 12). It was hypothesized that trauma to soft tissue was reduced in the study group.Materials and methodsOptical 3-D imaging was assessed blinded on days 1 and 7 after surgery to determine the visible soft tissue swelling of the upper lip and cheeks. Postoperative pain and discomfort were evaluated by a visual analogue scale (VAS; scale 0–10).ResultsImmediately and on day 1 after surgery, the study group patients rated pain and discomfort as 2.4 [SD 1.7] and 3.1 [SD 2.1], respectively, on the VAS; while, the controls rated 4 [SD 1.6] and 5.6 [SD 1.7], respectively. The mean facial soft tissue volume change, assessed on day 1 after surgery, was 5.0 cm3 [range: 0.2–9.2] for the study group and 15.5 cm3 (9.3–21.55) for the controls (p = 0.00).ConclusionsDespite the small number of patients in this prospective study, 3-D based minimally invasive one-stage lateral sinus elevation resulted in favourable patient morbidity with less postoperative visible facial soft tissue volume changes.