Implant position for supporting maxillary over-denture: a clinical study.

The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of supportive periodontal therapy (i.e. scaling and root planning, SRP) alone, versus a chemical device silica dioxide (SiO2) colloidal solutions (SDCS) used in association with SRP in the treatment of chronic periodontitis in adult patients.A total of 20 patients with a diagnosis of chronic periodontitis (40 localized chronic periodontitis sites) in the age group of 35 to 55 were selected. None of these patients have previously received any surgical or non-surgical periodontal therapy and demonstrated radiographic evidence of moderate bone loss. Two non-adjacent sites in separate quadrants were selected in each patient to monitor treatment efficacy (split mouth design). Clinical pocket depth (PD) and microbial analysis (MA) were analyzed at baseline day 15. SPSS program and paired simple statistic T-test were used to detect significant differences.Total bacteria loading, Tannerella forsitia and Treponema denticola loading were statistically reduced when SiO2 is locally delivered. SDCS gel is an adjuvant therapy which should be added to SRP in the management of moderate to severe chronic periodontitis.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator utilization among device recipients presenting exclusively with syncope or near-syncope.

INTRODUCTION: Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are occasionally used in presumed high-risk patients with electrocardiographically undocumented syncope, although the incidence of ventricular tachyarrhythmias in this population is not well defined. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 33 consecutive patients receiving an ICD (67% nonthoracotomy and 70% tiered therapy) after electrophysiologic testing for unmonitored "syncope" (n = 29) or "near-syncope" (n = 4). Atherosclerotic heart disease was present in 24 (73%); mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 0.39 +/- 0.15; and sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (SMVT) was inducible in 18 (55%). Over a median follow-up of 17 months (range 4 to 61), 12 patients (36%) received > or = 1 appropriate ICD discharge triggered by SMVT (cycle length 230 to 375 msec) in 10 and ventricular flutter or fibrillation in 2--without concomitant antiarrhythmic medication in 8 of 12 cases. Inducible SMVT and LVEF < or = 0.35 were statistically significant, independent predictors of an appropriate ICD discharge (P < 0.02 and P < 0.03, respectively). Estimated 1-year cumulative survival free of appropriate discharge was 34% versus 87%, respectively, in patients with versus without inducible SMVT (P < 0.02), and 18% versus 56%, respectively, in patients with LVEF < or = 0.35 versus LVEF > 0.35 (P < 0.03). CONCLUSION: In this highly select, multicenter population of ICD recipients with electrocardiographically undocumented syncope, a substantial incidence of appropriate device discharges was observed, particularly in patients with inducible SMVT and LVEF < or = 0.35. These findings support the notion that, in patients with LV dysfunction and inducible SMVT, ventricular tachyarrhythmias are likely to account for episodes of syncope or near-syncope.

Ventriculoatrial conduction capability and prevalence of 1:1 retrograde conduction during inducible sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia in 305 implantable cardioverter defibrillator recipients.

Despite the advent of dual chamber ICDs, differentiation of VT (SMVT) with 1:1 VA conduction will remain a challenge. In this study, VA conduction capability and prevalence of inducible sustained monomorphic (SM) VT with 1:1 VA conduction was assessed in 305 ICD recipients. SMVT with a mean cycle length (CL) of 304 +/- 61 ms was induced in 161 (53%) patients. Twenty-six percent of the patients maintained 1:1 VA conduction to CL < or = 400 ms during incremental ventricular pacing, regardless of presenting tachyarrhythmia or presence of inducible SMVT. Among ten patients who had inducible SMVT with possible 1:1 VA conduction (based on SMVT CL comparable to the shortest CL associated with 1:1 retrograde conduction during ventricular pacing), all seven with available intracardiac tracings had documented 1:1 VA conduction during the induced SMVT--representing 4.4% of the patients with inducible SMVT (95% CI 1.2%-7.6%), and 2.3% of the entire ICD cohort (95% CI 0.6%-4.0%). We conclude that about one-fifth of ICD recipients possess 1:1 VA conduction to CL < or = 400 ms and that inducible SMVT with 1:1 VA conduction can be demonstrated in a small but nonnegligible proportion of ICD recipients. These data are relevant to the design of tachyarrhythmia-discrimination algorithms for dual chamber ICDs.

Use and limitations of Holter electrocardiography in assessing drug therapy of myocardial ischemia during the peri-PTCA period.

Incidence and pattern of myocardial ischemia during the peri-PTCA (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty) period and the possible role of continuous intravenous isosorbide dinitrate in its prevention were examined prospectively in 30 patients. Holter electrocardiographic monitoring was performed for 21 +/- 3 h before PTCA and continued during and for 41 +/- 8 h after the procedure. Before PTCA, 19 ischemic episodes were present in 10 (33%) of 30 patients. PTCA produced an abrupt decrease in number (p = 0.015) and duration (p = 0.03) of spontaneous ischemic episodes. The rarity of recurrent myocardial ischemic events by Holter monitoring after PTCA negated any attempt at assessing the efficacy of intravenous isosorbide dinitrate in their prevention. Holter monitoring could not be used as an early predictor of late coronary restenosis.