Facial soft tissue changes and volumetric analysis of upper airways in patients undergoing surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion using a transpalatal distractor.

OBJECTIVE: To verify changes in facial soft tissue using the RadiANT-DICOM-viewer and Dolphin Imaging software, through linear measurements of tomographic points in a 3D reconstruction of the face and volumetric evaluation with three-dimensional measurements of the upper airways of patients with transverse maxillary discrepancy undergoing Surgically Assisted Rapid Maxillary Expansion (SARME). METHODS: Retrospective, transverse, and descriptive study, through the analysis of computed tomography scans of the face of patients with transverse maxillary discrepancy, treated from July 2019 to December 2022. The sample consisted of 15 patients of both sexes, aged 21-42 years old, who underwent surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion using the transpalatal distractor. Analysis was performed through linear, angular, and three-dimensional measurements in millimeters, in the preoperative and late four-month postoperative period, in frontal 3D tomographic images of the face, in the region of the width of the nose and alar base and also angular measurement in the lateral tomography for the angle nasolabial and upper airways of rhinopharynx, oropharynx and hypopharynx. RESULTS: There was an increase in nasal width with an average of 1.3467mm and an increase in the alar base with an average of 1.7333mm. A significant difference was found in the pre- and postoperative assessments of the measurements of nasal width, alar base and nasolabial angle, as well as the upper airways in all their extension. The results favour a better understanding of the professional and the patient regarding the diagnosis and management of patients with transverse maxillary width discrepancies. CONCLUSION: Although our study shows an increase in soft tissues after SARME, no aesthetic changes are observed clinically, and all patients report significant respiratory improvement. SARME may therefore contribute to the improvement of professionals working in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery and orthodontics. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4.

Parasitological association between human leishmaniosis mucosa and paracoccidioidomycosis. Case report.

INTRODUCTION: Leishmaniasis Mucosa (LM) is a tropical disease that affects the upper respiratory tract and/or oral mucosa. Its etiological agent is Leishmania spp. Paracoccidioidomycosis disease caused by the fungus Paracoccidioides brazilienses. The aim is to report a case of Leishmaniasis Mucosa in association with Paracoccidioidomycosis. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A male patient, 24 years old; Intraorally, presence of a non-bleeding erythro-leucoplastic lesion that affected the soft palate and oropharynx; 3 years of evolution. On the face Computerized Tomography (CT) examination, it was possible to observe muco-periosteal thickening in the soft palate region; immunohistochemical markings for Paracoccidiodes brasiliensis. He was diagnosed with Leishmaniasis by Montenegro intradermoreaction (MIDR). DISCUSSION: The predisposition to Paracocodioidomycosis after Leishmaniasis infection is justified by factors already elucidated - hygiene, nutrition habits and immunodeficiency, but the reason for the non-progression of the fungus after years of evolution could be related to its inhibition due to the presence of the protozoan in the same wound. CONCLUSION: This phenomenon may be explained by future studies that need to be performed to answer such questions.

Management of locally aggressive mandibular tumours using a gas combination cryosurgery.

This study evaluated the results of curettage followed by cryosurgery using a combination of propane, butane, and isobutane gas for several benign but locally aggressive bone tumours on the mandible. Twenty-nine patients (16 men and 13 women) participated in the study. Patient ages ranged from 6 to 87 years (mean, 23.72 years). Before enucleation and cryosurgery, some patients received prior treatment consisting of marsupialisation to decrease tumour size. Twenty-seven of the 29 patients (93.10%) showed no evidence of clinical or radiographic recurrence after treatment through enucleation and cryosurgery. Wound dehiscence, which was observed in all cases, healed by second intention. The average follow-up period was 70.55 months (range, 53-120 months). These results suggest that enucleation followed by cryosurgery is an effective therapy for managing locally aggressive mandible tumours. In addition, this treatment is a less expensive intervention than more radical procedures.

Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy in an African-indigenous patient from the Amazon: a case report.

Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy (MNTI) is a rare condition that occurs normally in the anterior maxilla of infants aged <1 year. The use of clinical and imaging tools for MNTI is extremely important to prevent problems with function as well as the aesthetic features in a breastfeeding child. Brazil is a multiethnic country with a poor epidemiological policy and little data to track the incidence of certain diseases, including MNTI. It is important to study this pathology with ethnicity as a factor to improve the current epidemiological programs and establish better post-treatment management. This paper describes a case of a 2-month-old male of African-indigenous descent and Brazilian Amazon residency, who presented to our unit in 2009 with a history of an expanding mass involving the anterior maxilla. Clinical and computerized tomography scans were used to diagnose the mass as MNTI, which was removed by total excision. A biopsy later confirmed the MNTI diagnosis.

Pathologic fracture of jaw in unicystic ameloblastoma treated with marsupialization.

Pathologic fractures may occur when a bone has been weakened by an underlying pathologic process. The treatment depends on the etiology. We report on a patient with pathologic fracture in the jaw caused by unicystic ameloblastoma. The lesion was subjected to marsupialization, and the size of the radiolucent lesion decreased. The fracture was consolidated by bone regeneration. For the remaining tumor, a secondary surgery was performed with enucleation followed by spray cryosurgery using a combination of propane, butane, and isobutane gases. The patient showed no signs of recurrence during the 3-year period after the second surgical procedure.

Use of gas combination cryosurgery for treating ameloblastomas of the jaw.

This study evaluated the results of curettage followed by spray propane, butane, and isobutane gas combination cryosurgery in 10 patients with ameloblastoma. The patients' age ranged from 7 to 87 years (mean, 31 years), with equal prevalence in both men and women. Five cases were diagnosed as solid ameloblastomas and 5 as unicystic ameloblastomas. Before enucleation and cryosurgery, the unicystic lesions received marsupialisation to decrease their size. No patient showed evidence of clinical or radiographic recurrence, pathologic fracture, or infection after treatment with enucleation and cryosurgery. The most common complication was wound dehiscence, which was observed in all cases. The average follow-up period was 60.5 months (range 48-108 months). These results show that enucleation followed by cryosurgery is an effective therapy for managing ameloblastomas.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and floor of the mouth: analysis of survival rate and independent prognostic factors in the Amazon region.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for more than 95% of all malignant neoplasms in the oral cavity. Although several studies have shown the epidemiology of this cancer in Brazil, there do not seem to be any studies that describe the prognostic factors related to OSCC in the Amazon region. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the survival rate and prognostic significance of different factors in patients from this region affected by OSCC. Data from 85 patients with histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and floor of the mouth identified from the Ofir Loyola Hospital archives were collected and analyzed using univariate (log-rank test) and multivariate (Cox proportional hazard model) tests. The overall 5-year survival rate was found to be 27%. Univariate analysis showed that the 5-year survival rate was significantly higher for younger (≤ 45 y) female patients, patients with T1-2 tumors and clinically clear neck nodes (N0), patients with early stage cancers (AJCC stage I-II), and patients treated with surgical procedures. However, multivariate analysis showed that the 5-year survival rate was significantly higher only in the younger patients and those who underwent surgical treatment. The age of the patient at the moment of diagnosis and treatment with surgical procedures were the only independent prognostic factors that affected the 5-year survival rate of the patients in this region.

Angiomyolipomatous hamartoma of the upper lip: a rare case in an 8-month-old child and differential diagnosis.

Hamartoma is a proliferation of normal tissues that are considered endogenous to the site of occurrence. In the head and neck region, hamartomas composed of other tissues different from blood and lymphatic vessels (hemangiomas and lymphangiomas) are very uncommon. We report an unusual case of upper lip angiomyolipomatous hamartoma in an 8-month-old patient. The patient underwent surgical treatment and the 1-year follow-up revealed no signs of recurrence. Angiomyolipomatous hamartoma is a very rare condition in the paediatric population group, especially in the head and neck region. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of congenital lesions in childhood.

Orbitoethmoidal impacted injury by kitchen knife causing abducens nerve palsy.

INTRODUCTION: Impacted knife injuries in the maxillofacial region are rare and infrequently reported. In cases of injury involving orbit or eye, these reports are even rarer. DISCUSSION: Damage to the orbital contents may result in a rupture of the globe, extraocular muscle injury, lacrimal gland damage, and others. Orbital foreign bodies are not only difficult to detect, and clinical features vary according to its size, characteristics, shape, penetrating method, and site. In this report, a case of abducens nerve palsy after orbitoethmoidal knife injury is presented.

Solitary neurofibroma of the temporal bone.

Neurofibroma is a benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor that can be occasionally found in the head and neck region as multiple lesions associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) or as a solitary tumor. The real frequency of isolated neurofibromas not associated with NF is uncertain, and lesions in the temporal region are extremely rare. The aim of the current article was to report an unusual case of solitary neurofibroma localized in the temporal and infratemporal regions with 10 years of evolution in a female patient without any other manifestation or familiar history of NF-1. The patient underwent surgical treatment for complete excision of the lesion, and the 2-year follow-up revealed no signs of recurrence.