ABSTRACT
A review of the literature on treatment of chronic osteomyelitis of the jaws shows that hyperbaric oxygen is often recommended as an adjunct in treatment of this disease. Definite criteria to indicate this treatment and to evaluate the results have not been reported. The results of hyperbaric oxygen treatment of chronic osteomyelitis of the jaws in 16 patients are presented. In contrast to the good results reported in the literature, only 7 of our patients could be considered as cured. The reasons for this discrepancy are discussed. Our results, as well as the data from the literature, indicate that a combined antibiotic and surgical approach is the treatment of choice in chronic suppurative osteomyelitis. However, in chronic diffuse sclerosing osteomyelitis and in patients in whom decortication and antibiotic therapy have failed, hyperbaric oxygen treatment in combination with antibiotics and surgery seems to be indicated.
Subject(s)
Hyperbaric Oxygenation , Jaw Diseases/therapy , Osteomyelitis/therapy , Chronic Disease , Combined Modality Therapy , Humans , Sclerosis/pathology , Suppuration/pathologySubject(s)
Jaw Diseases/pathology , Odontogenic Cysts/pathology , Adult , Aged , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Panoramic radiographs of patients with chronic renal failure showed a loss of cortical bone at the mandibular angle; the loss of cortical bone correlated very well with the degree of renal osteodystrophy, established by biopsy of the undecalcified iliac crest. The value of using the cortical thickness at the mandibular angle as a parameter in diagnosing metabolic bone loss is discussed.
