National Center for Biotechnology Information. Though advances in endoscopic techniques and tools have greatly diminished the indications for this operation it is still a procedure in which there is great utility in the right patient.
Esu suction drill to puncture maxilla.

. The regeneration of the sinus mucosa after removal of the diseased mucosa either through ESS conservative antrostomy or Caldwell-Luc depends to a great extent on the systemic or bodily health status of the patient directly linked to his or her. Of the many open sinus procedures listed in CPT perhaps the most frequently performed is a radical maxillary sinusotomy known as Caldwell-Luc C-L for the American and French physicians who pioneered the procedure. The standardized diagnostic procedure and Caldwell-Luc approach for the retrieval of a displaced root form the maxillary sinus is a safe simple and fast method with minimal complications.
This technique was named after George Walter Caldwell of the United States who described this technique in 1893 and Henri Luc of France who described a similar technique in 1897. Medical Definition of Caldwell-Luc operation. The Caldwell-Luc procedure is a surgery that was first described over a 100 years ago.
C-L codes are 31030 and CPT 31032. Procedure to provide visualization to the maxillary sinus through the canine fossa to establish drainage through the nose evacuate sinus contents and remove diseased portions of the antral wall. The Caldwell-Luc procedure is prone to complications as well given that it needs a large opening for surgical access.
Although the use of the Caldwell-Luc operation has declined in recent years with the development of endoscopic sinus surgery it still has occasional indications and a set of practical guidelines on how to prevent complications would be useful. The Caldwell-Luc procedure is an external approach to the maxillary sinus through an incision in the superior gingivolabial sulcus with an anterior maxillary sinus antrostomy. It is an alternative to middle meatal antrostomy done via endonasal endoscopic surgery and was the primary approach used for accessing the maxillary sinus before the advent of endoscopic sinus surgery.
A surgical procedure used especially for clearing a blocked or infected maxillary sinus that involves entering the sinus through the mouth by way of an incision into the canine fossa above a canine tooth cleaning the sinus and creating a new and enlarged opening for drainage through the nose. The Caldwell-Luc operation uses an external approach for surgical treatment of the severely diseased maxillary sinus. Caldwell-Luc procedure for retrieval of displaced root in the maxillary sinus.
This article describes the operation in detail.
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