Bisphosphonate therapy in chronic diffuse sclerosing osteomyelitis/tendoperiostitis of the mandible: Retrospective case series.

This study aims to evaluate short-term and long-term results of bisphosphonate therapy in patients with diffuse sclerosing osteomyelitis/tendoperiostitis (DSO/TP) of the mandible. Eighteen patients (12 female, 6 male) aged 34.8 ± 22.2 years with DSO/TP of the mandible that were treated with bisphosphonates were included. In 16 patients, the bisphosphonate treatment led to remission with decrease of symptoms (pain, swelling of the cheek, trismus, tenderness of masticatory muscles) with a follow-up period of 4.5 (0.8-11.9) years between start of bisphosphonate treatment and latest follow-up consult. Of these, three patients were still in need of regular bisphosphonate therapy. Two patients were lost to follow-up. Bisphosphonate therapy is a treatment option for DSO/TP of the mandible that is associated with a high chance of remission of symptoms. Within the limitations of the study it seems that this treatment might be an effective second step in DSO/TP refractory to conservative treatment.

Non-surgical treatment of adults with chronic diffuse sclerosing osteomyelitis/tendoperiostitis of the mandible.

Non-surgical therapy has proved to be effective in chronic diffuse sclerosing osteomyelitis (DSO) of the mandible in children. Therefore we aimed to investigate the effect of non-surgical therapy in adult DSO patients. We included consecutive patients with DSO who received non-surgical therapy in our center. They all received occlusal splint therapy, counselling about the disease, and/or physiotherapy by a specialised team. The use of analgesics, preferably nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, was advised for symptomatic control during periods of exacerbation. Sixteen patients (11/5 female/male) aged 39.9 ± 15.0 years with DSO of the mandible were included. The mean duration of symptoms was 39.7 ± 26.3 months before referral to our center. Patients were treated with a broad range of treatments before referral. All patients underwent non-surgical treatment. In 12 patients this led to remission. Four patients still had complaints after 12 months of non-surgical therapy and started with intravenous bisphosphonate therapy. In our center, DSO of the mandible was successfully treated with non-surgical therapy, despite a long duration before referral and extensive pre-treatment. Considering this high success rate, we recommend this non-surgical approach as the first treatment option for DSO of the mandible. In case of persistence, alternative treatments such as bisphosphonates should be explored.

Radiographic characteristics of chronic diffuse sclerosing osteomyelitis/tendoperiostitis of the mandible: A comparison with chronic suppurative osteomyelitis and osteoradionecrosis.

Diffuse sclerosing osteomyelitis (DSO) of the mandible is a poorly understood chronic disease. It is assumed to be a form of chronic osteomyelitis. Other forms of chronic osteomyelitis are chronic suppurative osteomyelitis (CSO) and osteoradionecrosis (ORN). This study aimed to investigate radiographic characteristics of DSO and compare these findings with the radiographic characteristics of CSO and ORN in order to radiographically distinguish these three diseases. In this retrospective study, 33 patients were clinically diagnosed with DSO (13), CSO (6), or ORN (14). The panoramic radiographs, computed tomography images, and magnetic resonance images of these patients were evaluated. Osseous and soft tissue changes were analysed. Patients with DSO showed extensive cortical and medullary sclerosis combined with subperiosteal bone formation, condylar process deformation, and hypertrophy and oedema of the masseter muscle. DSO patients showed no pathological fractures or sequestra, which were observed in patients with CSO and ORN. The radiographic characteristics that differentiate DSO from CSO and ORN include subperiosteal bone formation, condylar process deformation, masticatory muscle changes, and the absence of sequestra and pathological fractures.

Conservative treatment of children with chronic diffuse sclerosing osteomyelitis/tendoperiostitis of the mandible.

Chronic diffuse sclerosing osteomyelitis (DSO) of the mandible is a rare disease of unknown aetiology. It has been suggested that overuse of the masticatory muscles, tendoperiostitis (TP), is a contributing factor for DSO. Therefore, we tested this hypothesis by treating consecutive children with conservative therapy. All patients were treated with conservative therapy, comprising occlusal splint therapy, physiotherapy, and/or disease counselling. Pain intensity on a visual analogue scale (VAS) and pain frequency in number of days per 3 months were recorded before the start of treatment, and at 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment initiation. Eleven children (seven girls, four boys, mean age: 11.55 ± 1.97 years) were included in this study. Six patients showed a decrease in pain intensity and pain frequency over time and they continued with conservative therapy. For the remaining five patients, bisphosphonate administration was initiated because of persistent severe pain - one after 3 months of conservative therapy, and the other four after 1 year of conservative therapy. The pain complaints of patients with DSO/TP decreased with conservative therapy, and 55% did not require additional therapy. This suggests that DSO/TP of the mandible is precipitated by muscle overuse.

Women's Experiences with and Preference for Induction of Labor with Oral Misoprostol or Foley Catheter at Term.

Objective We assessed experience and preferences among term women undergoing induction of labor with oral misoprostol or Foley catheter. Study Design In 18 of the 29 participating hospitals in the PROBAAT-II trial, women were asked to complete a questionnaire within 24 hours after delivery. We adapted a validated questionnaire about expectancy and experience of labor and asked women whether they would prefer the same method again in a future pregnancy. Results The questionnaire was completed by 502 (72%) of 695 eligible women; 273 (54%) had been randomly allocated to oral misoprostol and 229 (46%) to Foley catheter. Experience of the duration of labor, pain during labor, general satisfaction with labor, and feelings of control and fear related to their expectation were comparable between both the groups. In the oral misoprostol group, 6% of the women would prefer the other method if induction is necessary in future pregnancy, versus 12% in the Foley catheter group (risk ratio: 0.70; 95% confidence interval: 0.55-0.90; p = 0.02). Conclusion Women's experiences of labor after induction with oral misoprostol or Foley catheter are comparable. However, women in the Foley catheter group prefer more often to choose a different method for future inductions.