Systematic review of the use of pentoxifylline and tocopherol for the treatment of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw.

OBJECTIVE: Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is a pathologic process resulting in progressive destruction of the jaws. There are no established guidelines for the medical management of MRONJ. Interest in pentoxifylline and tocopherol is growing because these agents have been shown to be effective in treating osteoradionecrosis of the jaw. This review evaluates the clinical usefulness of pentoxifylline and tocopherol in treating MRONJ. STUDY DESIGN: Literature databases were searched for relevant reports of pentoxifylline and tocopherol in treating MRONJ. Only English-language reports and human studies were considered. RESULTS: There were 3 published observational studies and 2 abstracts relevant to this topic. The combination of pentoxifylline and tocopherol is associated with subjective and objective improvements and no major adverse outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Pentoxifylline and tocopherol has been demonstrated to be effective for managing MRONJ nonsurgically, and, thus, this treatment modality holds promise. However, larger clinical studies are needed to optimize dose and duration.

Facial nerve function preservation with vacuum-assisted closure.

IMPORTANCE: Laboratory and clinical studies have shown that vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy increases wound blood flow and granulation tissue formation and decreases accumulation of fluid and bacteria. Many publications outline the use of VAC dressings in the treatment of sternal, sacral, upper and lower extremity, perineal, and abdominal wounds, but few describe its use in the head and neck region. No report to date has addressed the use of VAC therapy in helping to preserve facial nerve integrity. OBSERVATIONS: We present a case of a 64-year-old woman who underwent tissue debridement for necrotizing fasciitis of the left face, neck, and upper chest. She subsequently had exposed facial nerve that was covered with a VAC dressing and demonstrated complete granulation by postoperative day 7 with preservation of function. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This case highlights the effectiveness of VAC in eliminating infectious material and promoting granulation tissue formation. This is the first time that VAC therapy has been shown to maintain neural function when placed directly on functioning cranial nerves.

Canalicular adenoma of the palate: case report and literature review.

Canalicular adenoma is a rare benign salivary gland tumor of the oral cavity, typically located in the upper lip and buccal mucosa and infrequently found on the palate. The tumor is usually confined to soft tissue and rarely presents with bone erosion. A case of a large and locally-aggressive palatal canalicular adenoma is presented. The lesion presented herein was an asymptomatic ulcerated mass with significant bone erosion. The tumor was managed surgically with excision and reconstruction of the resulting palatal defect with a full temporalis muscle flap.

The Analgesic Interaction of Misoprostol with Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs.

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of misoprostol when combined with ibuprofen or diclofenac Na. Animal experiments using the inflamed rat paw formalin model suggested that misoprostol potentiates the analgesic effect of some NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) including diclofenac Na but not propionic acid derivatives or opiates. The dental pain model was used to evaluate the clinical relevance of this interaction. Patients received a single oral dose of study medication following surgical removal of impacted teeth. Patients were medicated for moderate to severe postsurgical pain and then filled in an analgesic diary for a 6-h observation period. Several blood samples were taken over the observation period. In addition, microdialysis samples were taken directly from the extraction socket and were analyzed for immunoreactive prostaglandin E(2) levels. The studies were single-dose, parallel group and double-blind assays. In the first study, 70 patients received an oral dose of either placebo (n = 13), misoprostol 200 &mgr;g (n = 18), ibuprofen 200 mg (n = 19), or the combination of misoprostol + ibuprofen (n = 20). Misoprostol alone demonstrated a small analgesic effect compared to placebo. Both the ibuprofen and combination groups were substantially more effective than placebo but not different from each other. The combination group had higher ibuprofen blood levels during the first 45 min but had a lower C(max) and longer time to T(max). The second study evaluated oral doses of placebo (n = 11), misoprostol 200 &mgr;g (n = 21), diclofenac Na 50 mg (n = 18), and the combination of misoprostol + diclofenac Na (n = 20). Relative to placebo, misoprostol performance was similar to the first study. When the results of the two studies were combined, there was a small, but statistically significant, analgesic effect for misoprostol. Diclofenac Na was superior to both placebo and to misoprostol alone. The combination was the most effective treatment, and for hours 4--6 it was significantly better than diclofenac Na alone. Analysis of the blood samples showed an earlier and higher peak effect for the diclofenac Na group compared to the combination, and the combination again had a lower C(max). The microdialysis probe assays demonstrated that misoprostol depressed PGE(2) levels at the peripheral site of trauma over the first 2 h after surgery. These pilot studies used small samples, and the results only suggest trend effects. Both studies demonstrated that misoprostol 200 &mgr;g, a prostaglandin analog, does have an analgesic effect. When combined with ibuprofen, there was no potentiation of analgesia. In contrast, the combination of misoprostol + diclofenac Na demonstrated an enhanced peak effect, total effect for pain intensity difference and pain relief (sum pain intensity difference [SPID] and total pain relief [TOTPAR]), and