Junichiro Takeuchi

Clinical evaluation of application of polyglycolic acid sheet and fibrin glue spray for partial glossectomy.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of covering open wounds with a polyglycolic acid (PGA) sheet and a fibrin glue spray after partial glossectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS We clinically evaluated postoperative pain and scar contracture in 44 patients who underwent partial glossectomy followed by covering with a PGA sheet and a fibrin glue spray (PGA sheet group), as compared with 29 patients who were closed primarily (primary closure group). RESULTS Duration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs was almost the same between the PGA sheet group and the primary closure group. The degree of scar contracture was mild in many cases in both groups. In the case in which the excision area was wide and depth was shallow, there was a tendency for the scar contracture to be less in the PGA sheet group. CONCLUSIONS Our findings showed that the use of a PGA sheet and fibrin glue spray for open wounds resulting from partial glossectomy was useful in terms of rapid relief from postoperative pain and prevention of scar contracture.

Ror2 expression in squamous cell carcinoma and epithelial dysplasia of the oral cavity

In this study, the expressions of Ror2 in the normal mucosa, the epithelium dysplasia, and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity were investigated, and possible differences in the expression patterns of Ror2 and of p53, Ki67, or PCNA were examined. In Western blotting analyses, Ror2 expression in oral cancer was significantly higher than that in the normal oral mucosa. Immunohistochemically, Ror2 was localized on the plasmalemma and in the rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER). The tissue area with an Ror2-positive expression tended to differ from the area with a positive expression of p53, ki67, or PCNA, and the number of cells with an Ror2 expression tended to increase as the degree of malignancy rose in the epithelial tissues. These results suggest that Ror2 was not related to cell proliferation, but rather associated with cell polarity and cell motility, and that it was also closely associated with the degree of malignancy in oral epithelial tissue.

Maxillary sinus floor elevation combined with a vertical onlay graft.

We performed maxillary sinus floor elevation combined with a vertical onlay graft for a total of 11 sides of nine patients (1 woman and 8 men) in our Hospital. On CT, the preoperative minimum alveolar bone thickness with a mean of 1.8 mm was improved to 15.3 mm within a month after this surgery. A total of 20 dental implants were placed and there was only one failed implant. With the average follow-up of 15.6 months, an average of 3.4 mm of bone absorption was found in the site of the maxillary sinus and 1.1 mm in the site of the onlay graft. The crown-implant ratio in all cases was within the permissible range. Consequently, this bone augmentation surgery was considered to be useful.

Prevention of lingual inclination of the transport segment in vertical distraction osteogenesis in the mandible.

Vertical distraction osteogenesis can extend not only to hard tissues but also to soft tissues. There is a tendency to cause progressive lingual inclination of the distracted segment. This study describes a method for preventing the lingual inclination of the transport segment in patients with vertical distraction osteogenesis in the anterior region of the mandible and reports the results of long-term follow-up. The subjects included 5 patients who had severely atrophic ridges in the anterior mandible. In all cases, a part of the mental protuberance was scraped out, and the distractor was placed suitably in a labioinclination beforehand. Therefore, the transport segments did not lean to the lingual side and had long-term stability.