Article:

Endosseous dental implant surgery in the posterior maxilla requires the consideration of multiple factors, especially those of anatomic origin. Due to the reduced bone quality of the posterior maxilla, edentulism in this sextant often results in a resorbed osseous structure and a pneumatized maxillary sinus. When <5 mm of residual bone remains between the alveolar crest and the maxillary sinus, the traditional treatment option of choice prior to implant placement is subantral augmentation, more commonly known as the lateral window sinus lift. This approach to increasing bone available for placing implants uses a ‘‘window’’ in the lateral bony wall of the maxillary sinus to gain access to the underlying Schneiderian membrane. Although implant survival rates associated with this procedure routinely exceed 90%,the lateral window sinus lift remains a technique-sensitive procedure due to the high risk of Schneiderian membrane perforation and hemorrhagic complications, the latter of which is associated with the inadvertent laceration of the intraosseous arterial supply to this region.