Masako Ishidoya

Impact of periodontal treatment in combination with tonsillectomy plus methylprednisolone pulse therapy and angiotensin blockade for pediatric IgA nephropathy.

BACKGROUND We previously reported the efficacy of extensive eradication of infectious foci in oral and ENT lesions, combined with tonsillectomy plus methylprednisolone (MP) pulse therapy, for curing pediatric Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) and HSP nephritis. In the present study, we used this therapy in patients with pediatric IgA nephropathy (IgAN) to assess whether similar results could be obtained. PATIENTS AND METHODS In 11 pediatric patients newly diagnosed with IgAN, exploration for infectious foci showed severe oral infection, including dental caries and apical periodontitis, in many. The overall decayed, missing and filled teeth score was elevated to 5.91. Two patients had rhinosinusitis. After extensive treatment of infectious foci, patients underwent tonsillectomy plus MP pulse therapy with angiotensin II receptor blockade. RESULTS Clinical remission was achieved in all patients with pediatric IgAN (various histologic grades). Remission was achieved by 7.2 ± 5.7 months after initiation of steroid therapy, and disappearance of proteinuria by 3.3 ± 3.0 months. The mean duration of oral steroid administration was 9.5 ± 3.6 months. No relapse has occurred during follow-up of 4.3 ± 2.4 y. CONCLUSIONS Careful examination and thorough elimination of infectious foci in oral and ENT lesions can optimize the effect of tonsillectomy plus MP pulse therapy, promoting recovery from IgAN.

Periodontal and ENT therapy in the treatment of pediatric Henoch-Schönlein purpura and IgA nephropathy.

Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) and IgA nephropathy (IgAN) are both IgA1-related vasculitis caused by vascular deposition of IgA1-containing immune complexes. A pathological role of the tonsils in the development of HSP and IgAN has been suggested. Tonsils are a mucosaassociated lymphoid organ. Since oral and sinonasal cavities are anatomically directly connected to the tonsils, delivering exogenous antigens into the tonsils to induce local and systemic antibody responses, we examined the infectious status of these cavities when we treated HSP and IgAN. In 40 HSP children (6.7±2.5 years), apical periodontitis, rhinosinusitis, and otitis media were identified in 21 (53%, 4.9±2.8 affected teeth), 19 (48%), and 4 (10%) of them, whereas in 11 IgAN children (10.4±2.5 years), these diseases were observed in 6 (55%, 5.8±4.6 affected teeth), 2 (18%), and 0 (0%) of them, respectively. We first treated the patients with extensive eradiation of infectious foci, including antimicrobial treatment and root canal therapy. In 31 HSP patients, such dental and/or ENT therapy resulted in a complete cure without development of nephritis or recurrent attacks. For the remaining 9 HSP and 11 IgAN patients, we further performed tonsillectomy plus methylprednisolone (MP) pulse therapy to control their intractable symptoms, including aggravated purpura, recurrent HSP attacks or nephritis. Using this therapeutic strategy, all of the HSP patients attained clinical remission. All of the IgAN patients with various histological grades also achieved normalization of urinalysis by 7.2±5.7 months after the start of steroid therapy. No relapses were observed in both diseases during followup for 2-10 years. In pediatric HSP and IgAN, apical periodontitis and rhinosinusitis may be involved in abnormal immune responses in both the tonsils and whole body. We conclude that extensive elimination of these infectious foci is beneficial to optimize the effect of tonsillectomy plus MP pulse therapy.

Changes in tympanograms after middle ear inflation.

SummaryTo determine the effects of politzerization or middle ear (ME) inflation by a catheter, we studied the membranes (29 patients). Serial tympanometries were performed prior to the ME inflation and immediately, 10, 20, 30 and 60 min after the procedure. The present study showed that the more negative the ME pressure was before the inflation, the greater the pressure change was after the treatment. The elevated ME pressure induced by the procedure declined rapidly within the first 20 min after the inflation. This was probably caused mainly by spontaneous elimination of ME gas through the eustachian tube and gas absorption from the ME mucosa. During the post-inflation course, some ears demonstrated more negative pressures in the ME cavity than those before the inflation. The present investigation demonstrated that the use of inflation to treat secretory otitis media had short-term benefits which could be improved by minimizing gas absorption.