Three-dimensional CAD/CAM reconstruction of the iliac bone following DCIA composite flap harvest.

This article reports a new technique to restore iliac bone integrity with a customized titanium device designed by CAD/CAM, in patients undergoing deep circumflex iliac artery (DCIA) composite flap harvest. Eight consecutive patients who underwent the repair of major head and neck defects with DCIA flaps were enrolled retrospectively. Computed tomography scans of the pelvis were obtained preoperatively. Starting from DICOM data, each personalized device was designed using modelling software and was finally made by additive manufacturing using a laser sintering machine. After surgery, the patients were followed up at 3-month intervals to evaluate the incidence of complications and the long-term outcome at the donor site. A subcutaneous seroma developed in one patient and an inguinal skin burn occurred in another. At a median follow-up of 12 months, the patients did not report pain, or any gait or sensory disturbance at the donor site. There was no occurrence of bulging, herniation, or instability or inflammation near the device for the entire follow-up duration. All patients were satisfied with the aesthetic result. In conclusion, reconstruction of the iliac bone with a customized device is safe and well tolerated. We recommend use of this device in patients deemed at high risk of herniation. Further studies are needed to confirm the stability of the device in the long term.

Time to onset of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws: a multicentre retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) is a potentially severe adverse effect of bisphosphonates (BP). Although the risk of ONJ increases with increasing duration of BP treatment, there are currently no reliable estimates of the ONJ time to onset (TTO). The objective of this study was to estimate the TTO and associated risk factors in BP-treated patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of data from 22 secondary care centres in seven countries relevant to 349 patients who developed BP-related ONJ between 2004 and 2012. RESULTS: The median (95%CI) TTO was 6.0 years in patients treated with alendronate (n = 88) and 2.2 years in those treated with zoledronate (n = 218). Multivariable Cox regression showed that dentoalveolar surgery was inversely associated, and the use of antiangiogenics directly associated, with the TTO in patients with cancer treated with zoledronate. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of ONJ increases with the duration of BP therapy, with notable differences observed with respect to BP type and potency, route of administration and underlying disease. When data are stratified by BP type, a time of 6.0 and 2.2 years of oral alendronate and intravenous zoledronate therapy, respectively, is required for 50% of patients to develop ONJ. After stratification by disease, a time of 5.3 and 2.2 years of BP therapy is required for 50% of patients with osteoporosis and cancer, respectively, to develop ONJ. These findings have significant implications for the design of future clinical studies and the development of risk-reduction strategies aimed at either assessing or modulating the risk of ONJ associated with BP.

BRONJ in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a multicenter case series.

OBJECTIVE: Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) is a potentially severe adverse effect of various medications (bisphosphonates, anti-resorptive, and anti-angiogenic drugs). ONJ pathogenesis is still unclear although some risk factors have been recognized. Of these, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been hypothesized as a potential risk factor for developing ONJ. This observational study will describe a multicenter case series of patients affected with RA and ONJ, and it will attempt to evaluate the association between features of ONJ and pharmacological, systemic, and site variables. METHODS: Demographic, pharmacological, and clinical data from 18 RA patients with ONJ were collected and registered from three Italian centers (i.e., Palermo, Verona, and Padua) from 2004 to 2013. RESULTS: Sixteen (88.9%) patients were in therapy for RA: 9 of 18 (50.0%) with systemic steroids, 3 of 18 (16.7%) with methotrexate, and 4 of 18 (22.2%) with both medications. Two patients were not receiving treatment for RA. All patients took NBPs for secondary osteoporosis (average NBP duration of 69 months, range: 20-130): Fifteen (83.3%) patients were treated with single NBPs, while three (16.7%) with different molecules; one patient was also treated with denosumab. Mandible was affected more frequently (66.7%) than maxilla (33.3%); one patient presented multiple ONJ events. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first multicenter case series in the international literature regarding our topic. Focusing on our data, it could be hypothesized that patients with RA may be more susceptible to ONJ than the majority of osteometabolic patients. In our opinion, it could be important to monitor also denosumab or other biological drug side effects.

Vascularized fibula flap reconstruction of the mandible in bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis.

AIMS: To point out the feasibility of microsurgical reconstruction of the mandible in patients with bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis (BRONJ). METHODS: Seven patients with extensive mandibular osteonecrosis underwent subtotal mandibulectomy and immediate reconstruction with a free fibula flap. They were six women and one man aged 49-72 years. The mean size of the bone and oral mucosa defects were 18.5 and 22.5 cm(2) respectively. RESULTS: The mean time of surgical intervention was 12 h. All flaps survived and the postoperative course was uneventful. Oral feeding was resumed 14 days after surgery in all cases. The donor legs healed without complications. The pathology report confirmed the diagnosis of BRONJ in all patients. Normal bone was detected at the resection margins in six out of seven patients. Patients were followed-up at intervals of 3 months. After a median follow-up time of 23 months, no clinical and radiographic evidence of recurrent BRONJ were detected in six patients. One patient with osteomyelitis at the resection margins had signs of recurrent BRONJ 6 months after surgery. The overall curative rate of the population was 86%. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the limited number of patients studied so far, our data show that mandible reconstruction with the fibula flap is feasible and does not influence the natural course of the primary disease in BRONJ-resected patients.

Functional rehabilitation of the atrophic mandible and maxilla with fibula flaps and implant-supported prosthesis.

Historically, nonvascularized bone grafts have been the standard treatment for severe mandibular and maxillary atrophy, followed by immediate or delayed implant placement. Extreme atrophy is an unfavorable biological and mechanical location for nonvascularized autologous bone transplants. The authors present the results of a multidisciplinary treatment protocol for rehabilitation of extreme mandibular and maxillary atrophy by use of the vascularized fibular flap. This protocol includes bone augmentation, implant surgery, soft-tissue management, and prosthetic restoration. Since 1993, 18 patients with a mean age of 47.5 years presented with extreme mandibular and/or maxillary atrophy and underwent alveolar crest augmentation with vascularized fibular flaps. Bone healing was achieved in 17 of the 18 patients. Seventy-three osteointegrated implants were inserted in 12 of 17 fibular flaps. Altogether, 62 implants were loaded and 11 dental prostheses were made. Average follow-up of the loaded implants was 41 months. The success rate of loaded implants was 100 percent. The authors strongly recommend the use of the fibular bone flap when dealing with extreme atrophy of the mandible and maxilla and suggest the protocol outlined in this review.

Fractures of the iliac crest following anterior and posterior bone graft harvesting. Review of the literature and case presentation.

Iliac crest is the most commonly used extra-oral donor site of autologous non-vascularized bone, because of the great amount of bone available and easy access. Bone grafting from the ileum, however, is not without complications. An extensive review of the literature focusing on fractures of the iliac crest and pelvic ring instability due to anterior and posterior bone graft harvesting is reported, and 1 case of anterior stress fracture of the iliac crest is described. Thirty-five of the 37 fractures described up to date in literature were divided in 2 groups depending on the region of bone graft harvesting. Twenty-four fractures - including our case - were related to bone graft harvesting from the anterior region, 12 were due to harvesting from the posterior region. Four out of 24 anterior fractures required further surgical treatment (16.6%). In 8 of the 12 fractures with pelvic ring instability due to posterior bone harvesting, 1 or more additional surgical procedures were performed in order to stabilize multiple fracture sites (66.6%). Anterior iliac crest fractures, even though painful, remain stable and heal spontaneously in most cases without further complications. On the contrary, fractures due to posterior iliac crest harvestings very often require complex surgical treatments and lead to significant disability, which can be permanent.

Lining the mouth floor with prelaminated fascio-mucosal free flaps: clinical experience.

Soft-tissue defects of the mouth floor need thin, foldable, and pliable tissues able to preserve local anatomy as well as chewing, phonation, and deglutition. The oral mucosa is made of a stratified, nonkeratinized, epithelium-secreting mucus, which lubricates the oral cavity and facilitates tongue movements. No flap exists that can reproduce the physiology of the oral mucosa better than the oral mucosa itself. Prefabrication of mucosal flaps may represent the best solution. Therefore, 10 consecutive cases of mouth floor cancer were treated with prelamination of the fascia antibrachialis with mucosal grafts obtained from the healthy cheek, and with subsequent transplantation 3 weeks later. A significant increase in mucosal graft surface was seen in all cases, with a mean size twice the original. All flaps healed uneventfully. Follow-up time ranged between 2-60 months (average, 26.6 months). Morphological and functional results were excellent. Tongue motility, speech intelligibility, and swallowing were reestablished in all treated cases. Mucosal prelamination of the forearm fascia is feasible and allows physiological reconstruction of oral cavity defects up to 6 x 4 cm.

Simultaneous bimaxillary alveolar ridge augmentation by a single free fibular transfer: a case report.

Class VI atrophy according to Cawood still represents a major challenge in pre-prosthetic surgery. Reconstruction of mandibular and maxillary bony defects using microvascular techniques is safe and reliable. The fibula, due to its morphological properties, is ideal for alveolar ridge augmentation and its donor site morbidity is the lowest among vascularized bone flaps. In this paper, we report the first case, to our knowledge, of extreme atrophy of both jaws, successfully treated by simultaneous bony augmentation of the maxillary and mandibular alveolar ridges with just one free fibula flap. Pre-operative planning, surgical technique and prosthetic restoration are discussed in detail.

Retrospective evaluation on the surgical treatment of jaw bones ameloblastic lesions. Experience with 20 clinical cases.

BACKGROUND: Ameloblastoma is a benign but locally aggressive neoplasm of the odontogenic epithelium that causes expansion of the bone and tends to recur. The aim of this article is to present a retrospective evaluation on the management of ameloblastic lesion of the jawbones and to compare them with those reported in literature in order to rule out which surgical approach is likely to be the most appropriate, considering it extremely controversial. METHODS: Data corresponding to 20 patients with ameloblastic lesions involving the maxillary bones, admitted to the O ral and MaxilloFacial Surgery Department of Verona University Hospital, were analyzed in the period between 1984 and 1999. All data were selected for sex, age, site of involvement, histological patterns of the lesions, surgical steps performed concerning both primary pathology and secondary relapses including the reconstructive methods employed. RESULTS: The results showed a male/female ratio of 1.5/1. All the affected patients showed endosseous tumour masses localized in 90% of the cases at the mandible and only in 10% at the maxillary bone. Only one case with soft tissue involvement was observed. Treatment was enucleation and bone courettage in the 65% of cases while in 35% the lesion was excised performing wide bone resection. The histopathological study on the surgical specimens revealed the 50% of the lesions were unicystic 45% were multicystic showing the other 5% a carcinomatous ameloblastic patterns. The recurrence rate in patients managed with enucleation and courettage was 28.57% while in wide bone resection none recurrence was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Simply enucleation and curettage of multicystic ameloblastic lesion of jawbones results in an unacceptable recurrence rate. Conservative surgical treatment should be considered only in presence of unicystic lesion when extraosseous spread has not occurred. Multicystic lesions should be treated with an extended surgical resection.

Intracranial spread of a giant frontal mucocele: case report.

A giant mucocele eroded both the anterior and posterior wall of the frontal sinus and infiltrated the dura mater. Its extracranial growth caused a frontal bony prominence. The tumour and part of the dura were resected. A 12 x 6cm defect in the dura was repaired with a freeze-dried patch. A split-thickness bone graft from the right parietal region was used to repair the anterior frontal bony defect. The result one year later was satisfactory. Spiral computed tomography with thr ee-dimensional reconstructions excluded any recurrence of the tumour and showed good integration of bone grafts.

[Facial localized cosmetic filling by multiple injections of fat stored at -30 degrees C. Techniques, clinial follow-up of 99 patients and histological examination of 10 patients]. / Comblement localisé facial à visée esthétique par injections multiples de tissu graisseux conservé à -30 degrees C. Technique, suivi clinique de 99 patients et histologique chez dix patients.

At the end of the 1980's and at the beginning of the 1990's, free fat autografts were abandoned because of the poor long-term results. Two theories supported by hystological studies (the host replacement theory or the cell survival theory) have now been proposed to explain survival of fat tissue. They demonstrate that, when harvested by a correct technique, fat tissue presents the ideal characteristics to be grafted, providing a good soft-tissue substitute with a minimum follow-up of four years up to 6 years. The authors present a multiple stage lipofilling technique in 99 cases of facial rejuvenation by means of lipolayering. Injections are performed every 20 days and fat is stored fat at -30 degrees C with good aesthetic results and minimal morbidity with clinical follow-up at 4 and 6 years. Histological examination of fat stored for 20 days and for 8 months was also performed in 10 patients. Microscopic and ultrastructural examination demonstrated that stored adipocytes retain their anatomical features and, when injected in multiple stages, are adequate to obtain good clinical results. Our histological study combined with the clinical outcomes, suggests the advantage of several stage injection of stored fat (-30 degrees C).

[Intraoperative lesions of the maxillary artery and its immediate treatment. Presentation of a clinical case]. / Lesione intraoperatoria dell'arteria mascellare e suo immediato trattamento. Presentazione di un caso clinico.

The authors discuss the possible vascular lesions that may occur during mandibular sagittal split ramus osteotomies with particular regard to the maxillary artery. A case of surgical lesion of the maxillary artery is presented and its course and anastomoses are analyzed. The ligation of the external carotid artery and its principal branches is the treatment of choice in case of maxillary artery lesion which is a life threatening event and needs immediate intervention.

[Prune belly syndrome]. / La sindrome di "prune belly".

The prune belly syndrome consists of congenital absence or deficiency of the anterior abdominal muscle, bilateral cryptorchidism and anomalies of urogenital tract. Neurological problems are common in these patients as respiratory, orthopedic, gastrointestinal and chromosomal anomalies. We have treated 17 cases of prune belly syndrome. Mortality is 23.5%: two patients died in the neonatal period of respiratory failure; one patient, aged two months, died of septicemia in postoperative period, another, 14 years old, died of respiratory failure with normal renal function. Two patients are female without urological anomalies, one male has an incomplete form with normal urinary tract. Two patients with complete syndrome are treated conservatively. Ten patients with vesicourethral reflux or ureteral dilatation for distal obstruction are treated surgically. We performed 20 ureteral reimplantations with 16 tailoring of the ureters. In three patients ureteral reimplantation failed and in these patients we performed successfully a transureteroureterostomy. All patients have adequate complete bladder emptying without surgical procedure. Renal function is normal in seven, slightly reduced in one and reduced but stable in the others. Orchidopexy was performed successfully in eleven patients (10 Fowler-Stephens procedures). Orchiectomy with testicular prosthesis was performed in a patient 12 years old. Five patients have moderate respiratory insufficiency treated with chest physiotherapy. Urinary tract abnormalities are the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with prune belly syndrome. Treatment regimen must be individualized. Respiratory problems are also frequent and is mandatory a precocious chest physiotherapy.

[Deep hypothermia and cardiocirculatory arrest with the technic of central cooling in patients with simple transposition of the great arteries]. / L'ipotermia profonda e l'arresto cardiocircolatorio con la tecnica del raffreddamento centrale in pazienti affetti da TGA semplice.

The deep hypothermia and cardiocirculatory arrest are employed mainly for two reasons; to reduce as much as possible the extra corporeal circulation time in patients more suitable to present the deleterious effects of the by-pass circulation, and to have surgical field completely free from the blood, making easier some surgical procedures. In the classic description of Hykasa the deep hypothermia necessary to have a safe cardiocirculatory arrest is obtained by means of surface cooling and an extracorporeal heat exchanger. In our experience deep hypothermia and cardiocirculatory arrest were achieved only by means of core cooling technique; 64 patients with TGA weighing less than 10 kg were operated upon by this method with a mortality rate of 3.1%. The most important mortality risk factors were associated to the low weight of the patients and to the age. The major criticism against core cooling is represented by the thought that this type of cooling can impair cerebral function. In 2 patients we had neurological complications but were unrelated to the technique. We conclude that, when is necessary to perform a cardiocirculatory arrest, the core cooling deep hypothermia is a good, simple and useful technique, with a low danger of neurological complications.