Treatment of Osteomyelitis: A Case for Disruption of the Affected Adjacent Periosteum

The Necessity of Antibiotics in the Management of Surgically Treated Mandibular Osteomyelitis: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVES

Mandibular osteomyelitis remains an incompletely understood entity, and treatment of its various presentations remains diverse. The purpose of this study was to review the necessity of antibiotic therapy after surgical treatment of mandibular osteomyelitis.

STUDY DESIGN

A systematic review of published articles on surgical management of mandibular osteomyelitis with or without postoperative antibiotic therapy was performed to answer the question, "Does the use of postoperative antibiotics compared with surgery alone alter the success rate in treating mandibular osteomyelitis?" The most recent evidence was sought by searching PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases. Article appraisal was performed by 2 reviewers.

RESULTS

Forty-five articles were found that met the inclusion criteria, with all studies being retrospective cohort or case series designs. Only 13 articles used Zurich classification designations of acute osteomyelitis, secondary chronic osteomyelitis, or primary chronic osteomyelitis, and the general heterogeneity of these articles made comparison difficult. No study made an intentional statistical assessment of various antibiotic protocols.

CONCLUSIONS

Limited evidence suggested that resection may have better success rates than other forms of surgical intervention, regardless of antibiotic therapy. This systematic review questions the perceived necessity of intermediate- or long-term antibiotic therapy in the management of mandibular osteomyelitis after surgical resection.

Degloving Approach for the Management of Extensive Mandibular Osteomyelitis

ABSTRACT

Extensive osteomyelitis of the mandible is usually managed using elaborate procedures including resection and reconstruction of the affected part of the mandible. This brief clinical report, the authors present a case of 75-year old male with extensive osteomyelitis of the mandible, incidentally diagnosed with anemia of chronic disease and Type I diabetes mellitus and managed using an intraoral degloving approach exclusively. This has proved to be a procedure ensuring better blood supply, decreased morbidity, precluding an elaborate reconstruction procedure and an overall reduction in cost. The advantages, scientific basis, rationale and pitfalls have been discussed briefly.