Maurizio Perugini

Mandibular ameloblastoma: analysis of surgical treatment carried out in 60 patients between 1977 and 1998.

Ameloblastoma, a benign tumor of odontogenic type, represents 10% of all tumors of the jawbone. It is localized in the mandible in 80% of cases and in the upper jaw in the remaining 20%. In every case, the selection of the surgical treatment to be applied must consider some fundamental elements, including the age and general state of health of the patient, the clinicopathological variant, and the localization and extent of the tumor. In addition, it is necessary to evaluate whether the neoplasm to be treated is a primitive lesion or a recurrence. Although ameloblastoma has relative histological characteristics of benignity, this neoplasm has a high percentage of local recurrence and possible malignant development when treated inadequately. The aim of this study was to carry out a follow-up of 60 patients treated for ameloblastoma of the mandible between 1977 and 1998, analyzing the problems faced in removing this benign neoplasm and those concerning reconstruction of the surgical defect.

Abrikossoff's Tumor

Abrikossoffs tumor is a disease that more commonly affects the oral cavity but can also occur at other sites. It develops between the second and sixth decades of life, more frequently among women and blacks. The neoplasm can affect all parts of the body. The head and neck areas are affected in 45% to 65% of cases and of these, 70% are located interorally (tongue, oral mucosa, hard palate). The benign form shows polygonal cells with granular, eosinophilic cytoplasm and small nuclei. The malignant form, however, is associated with a high mitotic index and pleomorphic cellular tissue. The clinical aspect of the neoformation is a swelling covered by mucus of normal appearance. Studies of the neoformation show that in addition to the objective examination, further instrumental research is necessary, i.e., with nuclear magnetic resonance or computed tomography with contrast CT scan. However, the only examination that can confirm the clinical diagnosis is the histological examination. The only treatment for Abrikossoff tumor is surgery. The surgical treatment provides for an extirpation of the neoformation with the overhanging mucus and the underlying periosteum. In this work, the authors discuss a case of Abrikossoff tumor affecting the mucus of the right side of the hemipalate in a 53-year-old patient and present a review of the literature.

Soccer-related craniomaxillofacial injuries

The authors assessed the rate of craniomaxillofacial fractures in soccer and the areas where they occur, describing above all the injury pattern of this sport. Over a 5-year period (1995–2000) 46 cases of 329 with fractures associated with different sports activities have been surgically operated at the maxillofacial surgery department of the Policlinico “Umberto I” Hospital, University “La Sapienza” of Rome.All data collected have been selected on the basis of sex, age, anatomic site of the fracture, and the practiced sport. Information on injury patterns, severity, and play circumstances have been documented.The department examined 7 sports disciplines, but soccer was responsible for sports-related maxillofacial fractures in 34 of 46 cases (73.9%). All 34 fractures occurred to men.In soccer, the zygomatic and nasal regions are mainly involved. In fact the authors examined zygomatic fractures in 15 cases and nasal fractures in 10 cases. Direct contact between players generally causes soccer-related maxillofacial fractures: head–elbow impacts (21 cases) or head–head impacts (14 cases).The male:female ratio is 6.6:1, while the average age is 25 years for males and 23 years for females.In comparison with other sports (rugby, football, etc...) where physical contact occurs more frequently and the higher incidence of traumatic events justifies the use of protective measures, soccer is not a particularly violent sport. In soccer, maxillofacial traumas are caused by violent impacts between players that take place mainly when the ball is played with the forehead. In this moment there can be an elbow–head impact or a head–head impact.The authors believe that the low incidence of fractures, severity of the lesions, and discomfort caused by possible protective masks make their use unjustified. The data collected during this study witness that in soccer 21 of 34 cases of maxillofacial fractures are caused by elbow–head impacts. This fact suggests a preventive strategy against violent behavior in soccer play. Because the use of any sort of helmet proved impossible, the introduction of more severe penalties and a greater respect for the rules of the game by the players could reduce the percentage of impacts during matches. Impacts cause the most serious and frequent lesions in the maxillofacial region.

Surgical techniques in the treatment of pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland: our experience and review of literature.

This paper presents a retrospective study carried out on a sample of 100 patients affected by pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland and treated at the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Rome “La Sapienza” between January 1, 1989 and December 31, 1997. For the diagnosis of this neoformation, cytological tests were performed on material taken from the neoformation using fine needle aspiration and ultrasound scan. In some selected cases, a CT examination of the head and neck with medium contrast or Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) was carried out. This study sets out to examine the most suitable treatment to be followed for the removal of the pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland.In 56 cases the patients underwent a superficial, conservative parotidectomy. Forty one patients had a total parotidectomy with the facial nerve left intact and one patient had a total parotidectomy where the marginal mandibular nerve of the facial nerve was damaged. The remaining two patients involved in the study were suffering from a recurrent pleomorphic adenoma and in these two cases a total parotidectomy was performed where the facial nerve was killed. The removal of the cranial nerve VII in these patients proved necessary because the nerve fibers had adhered to the surrounding scar tissue of the tumor, either after previous surgery or due to repeated chronic phlogosis of the gland.

Craniofacial traumas: immediate and delayed treatment.

In 1998, 28 patients with craniofacial fractures have been under observation at the Emergency Room of the Policlinico Umberto I of Rome. Twenty-six patients have undergone reduction and contention surgery of the fractures. The diagnosis of the fractures has been achieved through CT axial scanning and coronal reconstruction as well as with three-dimensional CT. The CT spiral was used in those cases that required more rapid intervention, whereas the MRI was used to evaluate the condition of the eyeball. Twenty of such patients underwent surgical treatment a few hours after the trauma and, in such cases, excellent aesthetic and functional results were achieved. The general and neurological conditions of six patients did not permit prematurely proceeding with surgery. Two patients died a few hours after the trauma of the injuries sustained. Of the six patients who underwent delayed treatment, acceptable functional and aesthetic results were achieved in four, whereas the remaining two patients had inadequate results. The results we have obtained show that it is possible to achieve the best results, both aesthetic and functional, through immediate treatment. Delayed treatment is carried out at least 2 weeks after the trauma because of the patients condition and presents reconstruction difficulties that do not guarantee a satisfactory aesthetic reconstruction as well as, in some cases, an effective functional restoration.

Intraosseous hemangioma of the maxillofacial district: clinical analysis and surgical treatment in 10 consecutive patients.

The aims of this study are to illustrate functional and esthetic results obtained with different surgical strategies and to report a review of the relevant literature. There were 6 female patients and 4 male patients included in this study, with an average age of 35.7 years. Zygomatic bone was affected in six cases, the mandible in two cases, the medial orbital wall in one case, and the upper jaw in one case. In all 10 patients, surgery consisted of a wide excision of the intraosseous hemangioma with margins of 3 mm at least to ensure complete removal. Immediate reconstruction was carried out in 5 of the 10 patients. An analysis indicates that intraosseous hemangiomas of the maxillofacial area are rare; diagnosis can be difficult and is mainly based on computed tomography scans. Surgical excision, with previous angiography and embolization in cases of intraosseous hemangioma with a larger dimension or abnormal blood supply, is the treatment of choice.

Differential diagnosis between adenoid cystic carcinoma and pleomorphic adenoma of the minor salivary glands of palate.

Tumors arising from minor salivary glands of the palate may exhibit an overlap of clinical and biologic features that may produce diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas. Surgical treatment can be very different, depending on the dimensions and malignant or benign nature of the tumors, and therefore should be planned on the basis of an accurate differential diagnosis.A retrospective analysis in 24 patients with pleomorphic adenoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma of minor salivary glands of the palate was performed to investigate the accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and biopsy with histology in the preoperative diagnosis. Preoperative diagnoses obtained with FNAC and biopsy were compared with findings of the definitive histopathologic examination performed on the resected mass.Correspondence between the preoperative diagnoses determined by FNACs and the definitive histopathologic results was observed in 22 of 24 cases, whereas a complete equivalence was found with regards to histology. In the analysis, FNAC was associated with 91.6% accuracy and an error rate of 8.4% in the diagnosis of pleomorphic adenoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma of the palate.From the results of the analysis, histologic examination is still the most accurate diagnostic tool in such tumors. FNAC can be considered in tumors of the head and neck regions that are difficult to reach by means of a common biopsy.

Taste and olfactory disturbances after upper and middle third facial fractures: A preliminary study

To estimate smell and taste after traumatic disturbances, the authors questioned a sample of 92 patients who underwent surgical treatment for upper third and/or middle third facial fractures between January 1, 1988, and May 31, 1996, at the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Rome “La Sapienza,” Italy. A total of 86 patients included in the study had a facial fracture sustained during a motor vehicle accident. Twenty-nine patients reported smell and/or taste after the traumatic disturbance. Of these 29 patients, 8 patients had hyposmia and/or anosmia without taste deficit, 10 patients had taste disturbances without smell loss, and 11 patients noted disturbance in both smell and taste. The authors encountered posttraumatic smell disturbances in 19 patients in their sample. Nasozygomatic–Le Fort fractures, fronto-orbital fractures, and pure Le Fort fractures were found to determine posttraumatic smell disturbances in these 19 patients. Nasal fractures, naso-orbital–ethmoidal fractures, ethmoidal fractures, frontal–Le Fort fractures, and nasal–Le Fort fractures did not determine any olfactory dysfunction. Posttraumatic hypogeusia and ageusia were found in 21 patients and was caused by nasozygomatic–Le Fort fractures, fronto-orbital fractures, and pure Le Fort fractures. The authors did not find any taste deficits after patients sustained other kinds of facial fractures. In the 11 patients observed, disturbances in both smell and taste were noted. Nasozygomatic–Le Fort fracture was the most common in these 11 patients. At 5 years’ of follow-up, the results indicate that hypogeusia and hyposmia are connected with the etiology of fracture, the violence of the trauma, and the involvement of specific facial bone regions.

Delayed and Inadequately Treated Malar Fractures: Evolution in the Treatment, Presentation of 77 Cases, and Review of the Literature

Abstract. Seventy-seven cases of delayed or inadequately treated zygoma fractures, treated between 1977 and 1999 in the Maxillofacial Surgery Division of the La Sapienza University in Rome, are presented. The functional and aesthetic problems caused by this pathology are analyzed. The results achieved resolve some of the various aspects of inadequately treated malar fractures. These are possible because of the development of great biomaterials and the introduction of rigid internal fixation. As a consequence the surgical techniques have been revolutionized. Cases, with functional-aesthetic deficits or only aesthetic deficits, are studied separately. An accurate preoperative study permits the operation suitable for the specific features of the individual case to be carried out.

Angiodysplasia with osteohypertrophy affecting the oromaxillofacial area: clinical findings.

The authors report a case of oro-facial port-wine stain angiomatosis with cutaneous and mucosal lesions localized in the first and the second branch surface distribution areas of the right trigeminal nerve in association with right upper and lower lip, cheek, and hemimaxillary true hypertrophy leading to a severe dento-skeletal malocclusion with open-bite and facial asymmetry. The authors through a revision of the Bibliography locate nosologically this case among the rare congenital angiodysplastic syndromes affecting the maxillo-facial district as the Sturge-Weber and the Klippel-Trenaunay syndromes. They debate also about etiopathogenetic, clinical, differential diagnosis, and therapeutic aspects concerning the treatment of patients affected by this kind of malformation.