Piero Cascone

Condylar hyperplasia: Cephalometric study, treatment planning, and surgical correction (our experience)

We have studied and treated 12 selected cases of condylar hyperplasia. All of our cases showed no clinical or instrumental sign of still active hyperplastic growth of the mandibular condyle. The cephalometric studies demonstrated in all cases a pathologic vertical growth of the maxilla interesting the posterior segments on the same side of the hyperplastic condyle. We decided not to perform a condylectomy because we did not expect the condyle to grow any further. The treatment consisted of Le Fort I osteotomies and sagittal split osteotomies sometimes in combination with genioplasty and mandibular remodeling. The mandibular physiologic movements were preserved in all cases.

Outcomes after tongue–lip adhesion or mandibular distraction osteogenesis in infants with Pierre Robin sequence and severe airway obstruction

The objective was to review and compare outcomes after tongue-lip adhesion (TLA) and mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO) in infants with severe breathing difficulties related to Pierre Robin sequence (PRS). A single-centre retrospective (2002-2012) study was carried out; 18 infants with severe breathing difficulties related to PRS resistant to conservative treatment, who underwent TLA or MDO to correct airway obstruction, were enrolled. The primary outcome measures were successful weaning from respiratory support and resumption of full oral feeding. Nine underwent TLA and nine MDO. Eight of the nine infants who underwent MDO and all those treated with TLA were successfully weaned from respiratory support. After discharge, residual respiratory distress was diagnosed more commonly after TLA than after MDO (6/9 vs 1/9, P=0.050). Infants resumed oral feeding sooner after MDO than after TLA (mean days after surgery to full oral feeds 44±24 vs 217±134, P<0.003). The length of hospital stay was longer for infants treated with MDO than for those treated with TLA. The rate of complications was similar. Infants with severe airway obstruction related to PRS can benefit safely from either TLA or MDO. Although MDO lengthens the time to discharge, this option stabilizes airway patency of infants with PRS more efficiently and achieves full oral feeding more rapidly than TLA.

A new surgical approach for the treatment of chronic recurrent temporomandibular joint dislocation.

Chronic recurrent temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dislocation is defined as the complete loss of articular relationships, during mouth-wide opening, between the articular fossa of the temporal bone and the condyle-disk complex. The most frequent pathogenetic factors involved in chronic recurrent dislocation of the TMJ are supposed to be trauma, abnormal chewing movements, TMJ ligaments, capsule laxity, and masticatory muscles disorders. In fact, TMJ dislocation occurs more frequently in people with general joint laxity and in patients with internal derangement of the TMJ or with occlusal disturbance. Management of TMJ dislocation remains a challenge. Eminectomy, whose validity has been demonstrated by several authors, acts on the bony obstacle, preventing condylar locking, but does not have a therapeutic effect on TMJ ligament and capsular laxity or masticatory muscle incoordination, which seem to be the real cause of TMJ dislocation in most cases. The authors present a mini-invasive modified technique of eminectomy, which aims to act on both the obstacle and the cause with respect and restoration of TMJ biomechanical constraints.

Intracapsular fractures of mandibular condyle: diagnosis, treatment, and anatomical and pathological evaluations.

The aim of this study was to attempt to establish a correlation between condylar localized fracture, onset of anatomicopathological lesions of the articular structures, and determination of ankylosis so as to define appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Clinical, arthroscopic, and histological studies were carried out in two patients with a severe temporomandibular joint disorder after a condylar localized fracture. Treatment included removal of the displaced fragments, condylar surface remodeling, suture of retrodiskal perforations, and diskal repositioning. The histological study of the condylar specimens revealed signs of osteoarthrosis of the articular surface and chondroid metaplasia of the bilaminar zone with early onset of ankylosis. Results of this study confirmed the presence of causal relations between condylar localized fracture and ankylosis with alterations in retrodiskal tissue. These relations are found in 1) tissue damage caused by bony fragments remaining in the articular cavity (underestimated and poorly treated fractures), 2) the lesion that occurs in association with mechanical trauma; and, particularly, c) the disk and retrodiskal impairments caused by catabolic and degenerative osteoarthrotic changes secondary to condylar marrow damage. Thus, timeliness and accuracy of the diagnosis of condylar localized fracture are most important, as are correct diagnosis and treatment before the onset of degenerative anatomicopathological lesions.

Le Fort I in cleft patients: 20 years' experience.

Primary surgery for cleft lip, alveolus, and palate is only the beginning of management for this condition, because the congenital malformation and the scars of corrective surgery during infancy affect the physiological development of the skeleton and the soft tissue. Once the patient has stopped growing, therefore, secondary maxillomandibular malformation is frequent in these patients. The most frequent skeletal malformations in secondary cleft lip and palate are hypoplasia and malposition in the three planes of the superior maxilla space. In these cases, combined orthodontic and surgical treatment is necessary; of the various techniques available, Le Fort I osteotomy is the one most indicated for repositioning of the maxilla. Although this technique is now standardized to correct the simple maxillo-mandibular malformation, in the case of secondary malformation in the cleft lip and palate, modifications are necessary in the surgical technique to ensure the best esthetic and functional result and to reduce the possibility of relapse. After 20 years’ experience in the treatment of secondary skeletal malformation in cleft lip, alveolus, and palate, a critical review is made of the different steps of planning and performing Le Fort I osteotomy in these patients.

Experience in the Management of Frontal Sinus Fractures

International guidelines for frontal sinus fractures, dealing with the indication of surgical treatment, obliteration of the frontal sinus, drainage, and cranialization, may differ. In this work, we describe our experience with frontal traumas, analyzing indications, type of treatment, and outcomes by reviewing all data of 112 patients treated for frontal fractures at the Department of Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Università degli studi di Roma Sapienza. We reviewed all clinical and surgical records of patients with traumatic frontal injury treated from 1997 to September 2008. Patients presenting displaced fractures of the anterior wall of the frontal sinus were treated through skin laceration, if existing, or through a coronal approach and fixed with rigid internal devices. Patients with fracture of the posterior wall of the frontal sinus underwent frontal sinus cranialization with galea pericranium pedicled flap to prevent eventful septic complications. Follow-up controls documented that 98 of 112 patients showed no neurologic impairment, no symptoms of cerebrospinal fluid leak, and no other complications after 6 months and 1 and 5 years when follow-up was possible. In the international literature, there is wide agreement about indications dealing with displaced fractures of the anterior wall, although there is a lively debate about posterior wall treatment. In our 10-year experience, the protocol we carried out showed satisfying outcomes, in particular, on the morphofunctional recovery and aesthetic results.

Mandibular distraction osteogenesis for neonates with Pierre Robin sequence and airway obstruction

Neonates with Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS) usually present with varying degrees of upper airway obstruction and difficulty feeding. Early treatment is important for such children in order to prevent impaired cognitive development resulting from hypoxemic episodes. Various procedures aimed at widening the pharyngeal space have been proposed, including prone position, tongue-lip adhesion, mandibular traction, non-invasive ventilation and palatal plates. Mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO) using external or internal devices has become increasingly popular as an alternative treatment option when other medical or surgical techniques do not prove to be satisfactory. This review summarizes current evidence on the effectiveness of MDO in infants with PRS. Because of a lack of studies comparing this treatment with other procedures, general recommendations cannot be drawn and treatment of infants with PRS still requires individualization.

Pigmented villonodular synovitis of the temporomandibular joint.

Abstract:Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) is a relatively rare disease, affecting the synovial-lined joints. PVNS was first fully described by Jaffè in 1941, who considered it to be a benign inflammatory state of the synovium of an uncertain etiology. Reports of this disease in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) are extremely rare. The authors report a case of a 38-year-old woman affected by pigmented villonodular synovitis of the TMJ. Clinical examination revealed the presence of a preauricular mass in the left side; a computed tomography scan showed a 3.0 × 2.0 cm preauricular mass in close continuity to the TMJ capsule. The purpose of this report is to describe the clinicopathological features of a case involving the TMJ. The previously reported cases in the literature are also reviewed.

A dental implant in the anterior cranial fossae

Foreign bodies in the anterior cranial fossa are unusual. This is a case of a 50-year-old man who presented with a dental implant displaced into the anterior cranial fossae, which was removed endoscopically with dural reconstruction.

Temporomandibular disorders and orthognathic surgery.

The relations between temporomandibular dysfunctions (TMDs) and maxillomandibular malformations requiring orthognathic surgery for correction have been the object of different studies in medical literature. The authors have performed a bibliographic revision on this issue to show the state of the art. This study, an analysis of the literature of the last 20 years, is chronologically presented. It analyzes the prevalence of TMD in patients with different types of maxillomandibular deformities undergoing orthognathic surgery and the TMD changes that occurred after an orthognathic surgical treatment. Medical studies reported in literature show a high variation of results related both to the prevalence of TMD in patients with maxillomandibular deformities and to the changes ensuing from an orthognathic surgical treatment. It has been difficult to compare the different studies because of the different methods used to individuate TMD signs and symptoms in the groups of patients analyzed, as well as the different types of orthognathic surgery performed and the specific TMD treatments used when required. It is concluded that despite the different results provided by the various studies, a certain prevalence of TMD is always present in patients with maxillomandibular deformity. This can be assumed to be within a correlation between dysgnathia and TMDs, and it asserts the necessity to treat patients who have maxillomandibular deformities and TMD by performing a specific treatment of TMD.