Giant cell granuloma and neurofibroma in the mandible of a patient with neurofibromatosis type 1: a long-term follow-up case report with radiological and surgical aspects and a review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain is frequently performed on patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), to detect and follow-up intracranial findings. In addition, NF1-related pathologies can appear in the jaws. This case study investigates if it is advantageous to assess the depicted parts of the jaws in the imaging of NF1 patients with intracranial findings, thereby detecting jaw pathologies in their initial stages. CASE PRESENTATION: We report on the 3-year management with clinical and radiological follow-ups of a central giant cell granuloma and a neurofibroma in the mandible of a patient with NF1 who underwent examinations with brain MRIs. A review of the mandible in the patient's MRIs disclosed lesions with clear differences in progression rates. CONCLUSION: NF1-related jaw pathologies may be detected in the early stages if the depicted parts of the jaws are included in the assessment of the imaging of NF1 patients with intracranial findings. This could impact the treatment of eventual pathologies before lesion progression and further damage to the vicinity.

Calcifications in the neck region of patients with carotid artery stenosis: a computed tomography angiography study of topographic anatomy.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to map the vertical locations of calcified carotid plaques (CCPs), osseous anatomic structures, and calcified soft tissues in the area of the carotid artery, determine to what extent CCPs are superimposed on the cervical spine in coronal images, and analyze the differences between men and women. STUDY DESIGN: Computed tomography angiography (CTA) scans of 79 patients were studied. CCPs were discovered in 152 of the total 158 neck sides. Evaluations were performed by using sagittal and coronal reformatted CTA images with maximum intensity projection. RESULTS: Most of the calcified anatomic structures studied, including the carotid bifurcation, were found in close relationship to the level of the third and fourth cervical vertebrae. In the coronal view, all or most of the areas of the CCPs were superimposed on the cervical spine in 22 of 44 (50%) neck sides with CCP in women and in 37 of 108 (34.2%) in men (P = .070). CONCLUSIONS: The carotid bifurcation is in close proximity to various calcified anatomic structures. This should be taken into account when diagnosing CCPs in panoramic radiographs. In the coronal view, CCPs and the cervical spine are often superimposed; thus, coronal images are not recommended for confirmation of putative carotid calcifications diagnosed on the basis of panoramic radiographs.

Recurrent cherubism in an adult patient.

Cherubism is an uncommon, nonneoplastic, fibro-osseous disorder of the jaws in childhood and adolescence. It affects the jaw bones by deforming the cortical shell. Clinical features include progressive painless and mostly bilateral expansion of the mandible and/or maxilla. Because fibrous connective tissue replaces osseous tissue, radiographic features generally include expansile osteolytic lesions and a ground-glass appearance. Several treatment protocols for cherubism have been recommended in the literature; however, despite surgical curettage treatment, recurrences may occur. Our aim was to emphasize the high recurrence rate of cherubic lesions. In this article, we present cherubism in a young girl that relapsed after 5 surgical operations before her appearance to our clinic.

The oxidant/antioxidant status and cell death mode in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Oxidative stress and imbalance in the oxidant/antioxidant system have a critical role in carcinogenesis by affecting necrosis and apoptosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the oxidant/antioxidant status and cell death modes in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-nine patients with OSCC and 29 control subjects were included in the study. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were determined in plasma samples of all subjects. The necrotic and apoptotic cell death modes were evaluated with M65 ELISA and M30 ELISA, respectively. RESULTS: MDA and AOPP values as oxidative stress markers were higher in patients with OSCC than in the control group. FRAP values evaluating plasma antioxidant status increased in OSCC patients. M65 and M30 levels indicating necrosis and apoptosis were significantly higher in OSCC patients compared to controls. There were significant correlations between MDA, AOPP and FRAP; M65 and M30 values. CONCLUSIONS: The elevated levels of oxidative stress markers together with the increase of antioxidant capacity and the presence of a strong correlation between MDA, AOPP and FRAP suggest an activation of antioxidant defense against accentuated oxidative stress determined in OSCC. Enhanced oxidation of lipids and proteins may cause decomposition of cell membranes with subsequent leakage of cytoskeletal cytokeratins as CK18 and caspase-cleaved CK18 (evaluated as M65 and M30, respectively) in the circulation, suggesting that both cell death modes are affected in OSCC.

The influence of secondary reconstruction slice thickness on NewTom 3G cone beam computed tomography-based radiological interpretation of sheep mandibular condyle fractures.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the diagnostic accuracy of the different secondary reconstruction slice thicknesses of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) on artificially created mandibular condyle fractures. METHODS: A total of 63 sheep heads with or without condylar fractures were scanned with a NewTom 3G CBCT scanner. Multiplanar reformatted (MPR) views in 0.2-mm, 1-mm, 2-mm, and 3-mm secondary reconstruction slice thicknesses were evaluated by 7 observers. Inter- and intraobserver agreements were calculated with weighted kappa statistics. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to statistically compare the area under the curve (AUC) of each slice thickness. RESULTS: The kappa coefficients varied from fair and to excellent. The AUCs of 0.2-mm and 1-mm slice thicknesses were found to be significantly higher than those of 2 mm and 3 mm for some type of fractures. CONCLUSION: CBCT was found to be accurate in detecting all variants of fractures at 0.2 mm and 1 mm. However, 2-mm and 3-mm slices were not suitable to detect fissure, complete, and comminuted types of mandibular condyle fractures.