The procedure here presented is a simple method of introducing fluids into the sphenoid and posterior ethmoid sinuses. Heretofore, the irrigation of these sinuses has been rendered difficult by their positions and the inaccessibility of their ostia. Only occasionally can the normal opening of the sphenoid be used for the introduction of a cannula, while in the case of the posterior ethmoid cells it is practically impossible. Perforating the sinus walls, for the purpose of instilling fluids, is dangerous; it is not always accurate, and it produces inflammatory reactions which defeat the essential purpose of the treatment.
It occurred to me that those very mechanical obstacles which prevent the proper drainage of the posterior cells might be turned to account in similarly retaining therapeutic solutions in contact with the lining membrane. My problem, therefore, was the introduction of such solutions into the sinuses without producing trauma, and the