Are sinonasal dissection courses a valid instrument for endoscopic sinus surgeons? A report on 7-years of experience

SUMMARY Sinonasal dissection courses have been reported to be effective in teaching sinonasal anatomy to trainees, and in improving surgical skills for trained surgeons. Between 2013 and 2019, a standardised structured questionnaire was handed out to 130 participants of 8 sinonasal dissection courses. Each questionnaire included questions about the medical equipment the surgeons were fitted, and the problems encountered during the dissection. The majority of the participants, regardless of their experience and age, considered uncinectomy and anterior ethmoidectomy as the simplest parts of the dissection, whereas the most complicated step was the approach to the frontal sinus. All participants considered the dissection course as a useful way to improve their medical skills while performing an endoscopic surgery procedure, such as their anatomical knowledge, and confidence with instrumentation and the dissection. Sinonasal dissection courses can be considered to be useful for both trainees and trained surgeons. Improving anatomical knowledge can reduce the occurrence of complications, especially in endoscopic surgery.