Sino - Nasal Surgery in the Sub-Saharan Africa: A Critical Appraisal

Background: Sino - nasal surgery poses a great challenge to practicing ear, nose and throat surgeons in the sub-Saharan Africa where facilities are inadequate and most patients are distantly located from the few hospitals available in this region.
Method: A retrospective study of 79 patients who had nasal and paranasal sinuses surgery at the university of Maiduguri teaching hospital (UMTH) between January 1997 to December 2001.
Results: The most common indication for surgery was infection/allergy in 49 (62%) patients, followed by tumours in 16 (22.3%) patients. In the infection/allergy subgroup, intranasal antrostomy and nasal polypectomy were the most common procedures done constituting 63.3% and 32.7% respectively. Nasal surgeries as a result of trauma and congenital anomalies were quite few.
Conclusion: This rather low figure is unexpected considering the few available services in this region. Therefore health education and community awareness on health matters should be stressed.