Use of the Silvermann-Franklin biopsy needle for the diagnosis of intra-sinusal lesions, especially of the maxillary sinus

This report proposes the use of a new technique in the diagnosis of pathology of the maxillary sinus, including neoplasm, using the Silvermann-Franklin" needle. The procedure consists of approaching the diseased sinus through the canine, as in conventional biopsies, with the removal of fragments using forceps. Ten patients with an X-ray suggesting a mass in the maxillary sinus were studied. An 80% correlation was found between the anatomical and pathological findings of the biopsy and the subsequent surgical findings. The advantages of this method include the low risk, performance under local anaesthetic in an out-patient mode, the possibility of obtaining the diagnosis prior to surgery, and the possibility of obtaining deep-seated tissue fragments.