Imaging of the Paranasal Sinuses: Mitigation, Identification, and Workup of Functional Endoscopic Surgery Complications

The purpose of this article is to identify and define the appropriate imaging techniques in the evaluation of post-functional endoscopic surgery (FESS) complications. Although most complications encountered during FESS are identified readily during surgery, some are less conspicuous and require postoperative imaging. As illustrated in this article, these include cerebrospinal fluid leak, vascular injury, brain injury, orbital injury, and infectious complications of the brain and meninges. Some of the common anatomic variants of the paranasal sinuses are identified, and how these may predispose to surgical complications is discussed.