The transantral route of operation on the sphenoid sinuses was first described by Jansen at the Moscow Congress of 1897. Following his description at intervals, with various modifications, were those of Boeminghaus, Luck, Berens and Furet and in this country, those of Mosher and Sewell. The different writers have described operative methods on the sphenoid and ethmoid sinuses in which this route was used with varying degrees of success. Jansen's operation was performed under general anesthesia with a great deal of bleeding, which made the operation extremely difficult. His procedure was radical, destroying the middle and inferior turbinates; this was naturally followed by atrophic changes in the upper respiratory tract, with frequent secondary infections in the lower respiratory tract. This form of operation consequently was soon abandoned. The various other methods suggested have also given such a limited degree of satisfaction that a recognized method has not been adopted