Kiyohiro Kasahara

Usefulness and capability of three-dimensional, full high-definition movies for surgical education.

BackgroundBecause of changing surgical procedures in the fields of oral and maxillofacial surgery, new methods for surgical education are needed and could include recent advances in digital technology. Many doctors have attempted to use digital technology as educational tools for surgical training, and movies have played an important role in these attempts. We have been using a 3D full high-definition (full-HD) camcorder to record movies of intra-oral surgeries.MethodThe subjects were medical students and doctors receiving surgical training who did not have actual surgical experience (n = 67). Participants watched an 8-min, 2D movie of orthognathic surgery and subsequently watched the 3D version. After watching the 3D movie, participants were asked to complete a questionnaire.ResultA lot of participants (84%) felt a 3D movie excellent or good and answered that the advantages of a 3D movie were their appearance of solidity or realism. Almost all participants (99%) answered that 3D movies were quite useful or useful for medical practice.ConclusionsThree-dimensional full-HD movies have the potential to improve the quality of medical education and clinical practice in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

A Case of Infratemporal Fossa Abscess with Signs of Chronic Maxillary Osteomyelitis.

The infratemporal fossa is bordered superiorly by the infratemporal surface of the greater wing of the sphenoid bone and part of the temporal bone; medially by the lateral plate of the pterygoid process of the sphenoid bone; and anteriorly by the posterior surface of the maxilla. As it is completely surrounded by bone, it is frequently difficult to determine whether an abscess is present by direct visual observation or palpation alone. We report an extremely rare case of an infratemporal fossa abscess arising from chronic maxillary osteomyelitis developing after extraction of a maxillary molar. Despite drainage during initial oral anti-inflammatory treatment, pus continued to drain from the wound over a long period of time. This drainage ended when the eroded bone of the maxillary tuberosity on the affected side was curetted in a secondary procedure. The harvested bone tissue exhibited histological findings of chronic osteomyelitis. This suggests that the route of infection involved acute transformation of maxillary osteomyelitis by odontogenic infection advancing posteriorly and superiorly.

A Case of Central Giant Cell Granuloma in the Mandibular Molar Region

This case report describes the treatment of central giant cell granuloma that occurred in the molar region of the mandible. A 28-year-old woman presented with a swelling of the right molar area of the mandible and underwent an X-ray and a computed tomography scan of the mandible. These examinations showed bone destruction in the right molar region of the mandible. The patient was diagnosed with giant cell granuloma in the mandibular molar region by biopsy. After resection of the tumor and a graft of particulate cancellous bone and marrow (PCBM) from the ilium under general anesthesia, reconstruction of the right mandibular molar region was performed using a composite mesh plate of hydroxyapatite (HA) particles and poly[L-lactide] (PLLA). At 2.5 years postoperative follow-up, the patient has a good prognosis with no signs of