Repair of a perforated sinus membrane with a palatal fibromucosal graft : a case report

The sinus lift procedure in association with dental implant placement and autologous bone grafting enables clinicians to achieve the prosthetic rehabilitation of the posterior edentulous maxilla, when the vertical height of the atrophic crest is reduced. The most commonly reported intraoperative complication of sinus augmentation is membrane perforation, which may lead to infection, with the risk of graft loss or resorption, and acute or chronic sinusitis. We present a technique for repairing a perforated Schnei-derian membrane with a de-epithelialized fibromucosal graft harvested from the palate of a 50-year-old man. In the postoperative period, no wound infections, sinusitis, or bleeding were observed. This technique allowed good prosthetic rehabilitation 3 months postoperatively. This technical procedure is a quick and easy way to treat this surgical complication, allowing repair of the Schneiderian membrane perforation with autologous tissue, without other surgical accesses or need to modify the existing surgical access. In addition, our procedure causes no patient discomfort or adds significant morbidity, with only a moderate increase in surgical time compared to the planned procedure.