Crestal Sinus Floor Augmentation Using Hydraulic Pressure and Vibrations: A Retrospective Single Cohort Study

Purpose: To evaluate the sinus membrane perforation and implant survival rate after crestal minimally invasive sinus floor augmentation using hydraulic pressure and vibrations. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective single cohort study, all patients who underwent minimally invasive sinus floor augmentation between 2007 and 2015 using hydraulic pressure and vibrations were included. The sinus membrane is elevated by physiologic saline at 1.5 bar. The fluid is then set into vibration to further separate the sinus membrane from the bony floor. The endpoints were sinus membrane perforation and the survival rate of implants. Results: The hydraulic pressure and vibration technique was applied in 156 patients. Seven patients with perforations of the sinus membrane were treated with the lateral window approach and excluded from the follow-up analysis. In the remaining 149 patients, 184 crestal sinus floor augmentations were performed and 184 implants were placed. In 10 of these 184 cases, a perforation was suspected in the postoperative computed tomography (CT) scan. In total, the perforation rate was 8.9% (17/191). Nineteen implants were lost during the follow-up period ranging from 0.2 to 8.4 years with a median of 2.3 years. The cumulative implant survival rates after 1, 3, and 5 years were 94.4%, 87.7%, and 87.7%, respectively. No severe perioperative complications were noted. Conclusion: The hydraulic pressure and vibration technique allows a minimally invasive crestal sinus augmentation with a perforation rate less than 10% and implant survival rates of approximately 90%. Keywords: crestal, flapless, minimally invasive, sinus augmentation, sinus elevation, transalveolar