Alberto Maria Saibene

Sinonasal complications resulting from dental treatment: outcome-oriented proposal of classification and surgical protocol.

Background Odontogenic sinusitis is a relevant infectious condition of the paranasal sinuses. The widespread use of dental implants and reconstructive procedures for dental implant placement has led to new types of complication. To the authors’ knowledge, no publication has extensively examined sinonasal complications resulting from dental treatment, and no classification system allowing standardization and comparison of results is currently available. This study was designed to (a) analyze the results obtained from surgical treatment of complications resulting from dental procedures combining functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) and an intraoral approach and (b) propose a new classification system and standardized treatment protocols for sinonasal complications resulting from dental procedures. Methods A total of 257 patients consecutively treated with FESS (136 in conjunction with oral surgery) were included in the study. Different clinical situations were integrated into a new classification system based on the pathogenesis and clinical aspects of each case, with the aim of identifying homogenous treatment groups. Results were evaluated for each class. Results Of the 257 patients, 254 were successfully treated with surgery performed according to the proposed protocols. Three of 257 patients required a second surgery, after which they completely recovered. Complications of implant and preimplant surgery (maxillary sinus floor elevation) showed longer recovery times. Conclusion The results obtained are very encouraging. The majority of patients (254/257; 98.8%) were successfully treated with the proposed protocols. These results seem to indicate that the rationalization of surgical treatment protocols according to the initial clinical situation may significantly improve the clinical outcome.

Laryngeal motility alteration: A missing link between sleep apnea and vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy.

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and the relationship of sleep breathing disorders (SBDs) and laryngeal motility alterations in patients with drug‐resistant epilepsy after vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) implantation. Twenty‐three consecutive patients with medically refractory epilepsy underwent out‐of‐center sleep testing before and after VNS implantation. Eighteen eligible subjects underwent endoscopic laryngeal examination post‐VNS implantation. Statistical analysis was carried out to assess an association between laryngeal motility alterations and the onset/worsening of SBDs. After VNS implantation, 11 patients showed a new‐onset mild/moderate SBD. Half of the patients already affected by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) showed worsening of SBD. All of the patients with a new‐onset OSA had a laryngeal pattern with left vocal cord adduction (LVCA) during VNS stimulation. The association between VNS‐induced LVCA and SBD was statistically significant. This study suggests an association between VNS and SBD, hinting to a pivotal role of laryngeal motility alterations. The relationship between SBD and VNS‐induced LVCA supports the need to routinely investigate sleep respiratory and laryngeal motility patterns before and after VNS implantation.

How the simplest dental implant procedure can trigger an extremely serious complication

A 62-year-old man came to our attention after an operation in a small dental outpatient clinic where only a single dentist was working. The man was showing complications after insertion of a dental implant in the anterior segments of the mandible. Bleeding led to a slow swelling of the neck with airway obstruction. Only an immediate intervention by a mobile emergency unit and prompt tracheal intubation avoided death by asphyxia. The patient was then transferred to our hospital. We inspected the patient and we performed a CT scan that showed complete airway obstruction. First, we performed a tracheotomy in order to ensure the airway patency and then we identified the source of bleeding: the mylohyoid artery placed anomalously close to the mandible. After clamping and tying the artery, the bleeding resolved. One day after the procedure, the tracheotomy was closed; the patient was discharged after 3 days.

A Case of Coinfection in a Chronic Maxillary Sinusitis of Odontogenic Origin: Identification of Dialister pneumosintes

INTRODUCTION In this report, we discuss the case of a 39-year-old woman presenting with a case of chronic maxillary sinusitis. METHODS Dialister pneumosintes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Peptostreptococcus spp. were isolated from endosinusal samples obtained during surgery. The patient showed extensive periodontopathy and had undergone prior endodontic treatment for endodontic infection of teeth #13, #14, and #15, which failed and presumably acted as a bridge for the sinusal infection. After nasosinusal surgery, consisting of opening and toilet of the maxillary sinus, combined with extraction of the 3 previously mentioned teeth and antibiotic treatment, the patient showed complete healing. RESULTS S. epidermidis and Peptostreptococcus spp. were identified with a traditional biochemical test and confirmed by pyrosequencing. Conversely, D. pneumosintes could not be identified with the conventional method, but it was identified using DNA pyrosequencing. In addition, to better understand the role and the virulence of this bacterium in odontogenic sinusitis, we have evaluated the ability of D. pneumosintes to produce biofilms onto inert surfaces. D. pneumosintes is a known endodontic and periodontal pathogen found in necrotic pulp, subgingival plaque, and deep periodontal pockets. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, the pathogenic role of D. pneumosintes in odontogenic sinusitis has never been evidenced. Thus, its detection in endosinusal specimens may provide a significant insight into the pathogenesis of this relevant medical condition.

Effects of CT resolution and radiodensity threshold on the CFD evaluation of nasal airflow

The article focuses on the robustness of a CFD-based procedure for the quantitative evaluation of the nasal airflow. CFD ability to yield robust results with respect to the unavoidable procedural and modeling inaccuracies must be demonstrated to allow this tool to become part of the clinical practice in this field. The present article specifically addresses the sensitivity of the CFD procedure to the spatial resolution of the available CT scans, as well as to the choice of the segmentation level of the CT images. We found no critical problems concerning these issues; nevertheless, the choice of the segmentation level is potentially delicate if carried out by an untrained operator.

Surgical treatment of synkinesis between smiling and eyelid closure

Synkinetic movements are common among patients with incomplete recovery from facial palsy, with reported rates ranging from 9.1% to almost 100%. The authors propose the separation of the neural stimulus of the orbicularis oculi from that of the zygomatic muscular complex to treat eyelid closure/smiling synkinesis. This technique, associated with an anastomosis between the masseteric nerve and a central branch of the facial nerve, as well as with the use of a cross-facial nerve graft, resolves most of the spasms of the midface musculature, leading to a more relaxed tone when the mimic muscle is at rest and enhancing muscle excursion during voluntary and spontaneous smiling. Between 2011 and 2016, 18 patients affected by segmental paresis of the middle of the face underwent surgical treatment at the Maxillofacial Surgery Department of the San Paolo Hospital (Milan, Italy). Of these patients, 72.22% of cases with hypertone obtained partial to complete relaxation. Synkinesis was completely resolved in 83.33% of cases, and a significant improvement in facial movement was achieved in all patients. Neurorrhaphy of the masseteric nerve and the central branch of the facial nerve appears to produce favorable results. These initial data should be confirmed by further studies.

Orbital medial wall fractures: purely endoscopic endonasal repair with polyethylene implants.

The lamina papyracea of the ethmoid bone owes its name to its paper-thin papyrus-like thickness, which makes fractures extremely common. According to some case series, medial wall fracture is the most frequent among orbital fractures. Small, isolated blow-out medial wall fractures generally may not require treatment, but early or late enophthalmos might become an aesthetic concern for patients. This complication is very likely to occur with fractures exceeding 1 cm or 50% of the wall. Furthermore, patients may also suffer from late functional problems, due to fracture site scarring which impairs eye movement. Transfacial approaches still retain their value today, while several anecdotal transnasal microscopic and endoscopic approaches have been proposed since the early 90. These approaches not only differ in terms of approach, but also for the materials employed for the reconstruction. Recently, some small case series shed a new light on the soundness of endoscopic approaches. Most authors rely on the use of Silastic sheets and nasal packing to maintain the orbital content in place, with obvious drawbacks. Use of resorbable panels or autologous materials (bony fragments or septal cartilage) has been proposed in case reports only. Non-resorbable materials, such as titanium meshes, have been traditionally limited to transfacial approaches, implementing also computer-aided design for better aesthetic results. Given the superior stability given by non-resorbable implants and the chances provided by modern biocompatible materials, we introduced a new purely endoscopic technique employing a porous polyethylene implant (Medpor, Stryker, Kalamazoo, MI, USA). Our technique couples the stronger support granted by non-resorbable materials and the minimal invasiveness of the endoscopic approach without the need for long-term nasal packing.

Isolation of putative stem cells present in human adult olfactory mucosa

The olfactory mucosa (OM) has the unique characteristic of performing an almost continuous and lifelong neurogenesis in response to external injuries, due to the presence of olfactory stem cells that guarantee the maintenance of the olfactory function. The easy accessibility of the OM in humans makes these stem cells feasible candidates for the development of regenerative therapies. In this report we present a detailed characterization of a patient-derived OM, together with a description of cell cultures obtained from the OM. In addition, we present a method for the enrichment and isolation of OM stem cells that might be used for future translational studies dealing with neuronal plasticity, neuro-regeneration or disease modeling.

Implantology and otorhinolaryngology team-up to solve a complicated case.

Purpose: The aim of this article was to highlight the importance of the collaboration between implantologists and ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists to treat complex cases. Materials and Methods: A 46-year-old patient underwent a maxillary sinus elevation and implant placement 3 years before but because of a severe postop infection, the patient was treated with functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) and lost the graft and the implants. Later, the patient consulted us and was referred to an ENT specialist because of sinus opacity. She underwent a second functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS); various ENT consultations and computer tomographies (CTs) were performed to assess sinus health. Results: After having confirmed with sinus health, sinus elevation, implant placement, and loading were performed with success. Conclusion: Collaboration between the implantologist and ENT specialist is necessary to distinguish between nonpathological membrane thickening because of the healing process after FESS and a pathological thickening due to infection.

Late recovery from foreign body sinusitis after maxillary sinus floor augmentation

A 55-year-old male patient was referred to our clinic with signs and symptoms of recurring sinusitis after a right maxillary sinus floor augmentation for implantological purposes. Investigations showed an antibiotic-resistant ethmoidomaxillary sinusitis resulting from bone graft infection and displacement of previously inserted xenograft material into the maxillary sinus. The patient thus underwent a surgical procedure combining nasal endoscopy and oral surgery in order to remove the infected graft and restore sinusal drainage. The procedure was apparently successful but sinusitis relapsed after surgery and persisted despite 2 weeks of antibiotic therapy and local medications. A CT scan showed persistence of grafting fragments in the maxillary sinus. A new surgical procedure was scheduled while a more accurate endoscopic local medication was performed. Six hours after the treatment, the patient spontaneously expelled the fragments and promptly recovered. The patient successfully underwent another maxillary sinus floor augmentation procedure 6 months later.