• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.626-635
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• 1996

Odontogenic infections are usually locally confined, self-limiting processes. However, under certain circumstances, they may break through the bony, muscular, and mucosal barriers and spread into contiguous fascial spaces or planes far from the initial site of involvement, resulting in severe life-threatening complications, such as retropharyngeal spread, suppurative mediastinal extension, airway obstruction, pleuropulmonary suppuration, and hematogenous dissemination to distant organs. The mortality arte for mediastinitis from odontogenic infection ranges from 40% to 60%. Therefore rapid evalution and treatment is essential with a combination of life support, antibiotic therapy, and surgical intervention. Recently, we experienced three cases of retropharyngeal and mediastinal abscesses secondary to odonogenic infections. In all patients, early diagnosis was possible by CT scanning and physical examination. The prognosis was good in all patients by using urgent aggressive surgical and antibiotic therapy.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.398-402
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• 2021

Mastoid lymph node inflammation is a rare entity. Pathological conditions in the vicinity of the mastoid processes can be challenging for maxillofacial head-neck surgeons to address. We report a case of suppurative mastoid lymphadenitis in an 18-year-old Caucasian male. To our knowledge, there are no publications that highlight the clinical, ultrasonographic, intra-, and postoperative data for any pathologic process that presented as mastoiditis.

• The Journal of Korea Assosiation for Disability and Oral Health
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.30-35
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• 2013

The four principles of treatment of odontogenic infection are as follows : (1) removal of the cause, (2) establishment of drainage, (3) institution of antibiotic therapy, and (4) provision of supportive care, including proper rest and nutrition. A separate incision is required to establish drainage, especially in the case of extensive fascial space infections. There are four principle causes for active bleeding in the immediate incision & drainage phase; (1) vascular wall alteration (infection, scurvy, chemicals), (2) disorder of platelet function, (3) thrombocytopenic purpuras, (4) disorders of coagulation (liver disease, anticoagulation drug). If the hemorrhage from incision & drainage site is aggressive, the site must be packed with proper wet gauze and wound closure & drainage dressing are applied. The specific causes of bleeding may be associated with hypoxia, changes in the pH of blood & chemical changes affecting vascular contractility and blood clotting. This is a case report of bleeding control by the circumferential suture & drainage on active bleeding incision & drainage site of temporal space abscess due to advanced odontogenic infection in a multiple medically compromised disabled patient.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.96-102
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• 1990

Diagnostic ultrasound has the advantages of being noninvasive without any known deleterious biologic effect, rapid, painless, inexpensive and easily reproducible. The author used a real time sector scanner (Picker, Artis USA:5-7.5 MHz) for examing of lipoma, abscess, hematoma, lymphnode enlargement etc. and evaluated ultrasonograph as a diagnostic aid in head and neck region.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.535-538
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• 2011

Malignant otitis externa (MOE) originates as inflammation of the epidermis in the external auditory canal, and spreads to the surrounding structures and neck, leading to abscess formation. MOE is associated with an immunosuppressive condition and diabetes. Patients with MOE suffer from otalgia, otorrhea and hearing loss. According to the literature, surgery to the temporomandibular joint is controversial as the treatment of choice.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.256-259
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• 2007

Abscesses are common in the oral and maxillofacial area. However, secondary thrombosis of the internal jugular vein accompanying the primary abscess is rare. In 1936, Andre Lemeierre studied 20 patients who showed an initial oropharyngeal infection, septicemia, internal jugular vein thrombosis, and secondary spread of the infection, and after then this condition Lemierre syndrome. Clinically, these patients present with tonsilitis lasting several days, continuous fever, and cervical pain. In the past, ligation and excision of the internal jugular vein was often performed. Current therapeutic modality for this condition is appropriate antibiotic prescription and surgical drainage of abscess. This case report presents a patient who showed symptoms of Lemierre syndrome, initiated as an oropharyngeal infection then developed thrombosis of the internal jugular vein. This patient was admitted into Seoul National University Dental Hospital. In addition to routine antibiotic therapy, surgical incision and drainage of the infection site was performed. Without ligation or excision, the thrombosed IJV disappeared eventually. As the Lemierre syndrome is not a common disease, this case report and review of the literature would be useful regarding a treatment of patients with Lemierre syndrome.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.51-56
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• 2021

Due to their rarity and the lack of associated dental symptoms, odontogenic cutaneous sinus tracts (OCSTs) are often misdiagnosed and confused with cutaneous lesions or non-odontogenic infections. It has been estimated that 50% of individuals affected by OCSTs are subjected to inappropriate treatments before the correct diagnosis is established. We describe the diagnosis and treatment of two cases of OCSTs. By using a computed tomography (CT) with soft tissue window setting, the extent of cortical bone destruction and the path of the sinus tract in the soft tissue was easily identified. Thus, we recommend the use of imaging techniques such as CT, which can confirm the odontogenic origin and the exact location of the OCST.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.562-570
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• 2008

Most purulent maxillofacial infections are of odontogenic origin. Treatment of infection includes the surgical intervention, such as incision and drainage, and adjunctive treatment. The use of high-dose antibiotics is also indicated. The choice of an antibiotics should be based on the knowledge of the usual causative microbes and the results of antibacterial sensitivity test. We have undertaken clinical studies on 119 patients in Dept. of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Inha University Hospital from January 2000 to December 2007. Many anaerobic microbes are killed quickly when exposed to oxygen. Thus the needle aspiration techniques and the transfer under inert gas were used when culturing. The aim of this study was to obtain informations for the bacteriologic features and the effective antimicrobial therapy against maxillofaical odontogenic infections. The obtained results were as follows: 1. The most frequent causes of infections were odontogenic (88.3%), and in odontogenic cause, pulpal infections were the most common causes(53.8%). 2. The buccal and submandibular spaces (respectively 23.5%) were the most frequent involved fascial spaces, followed by masticator spaces (14.3%). 3. The most common underlying medical problems were diabetes (17.6%), however the relation with prognosis was not discovered. 4. The complications were the expiry, mediastinitis, necrotizing fasciitis, orbital abscess, and osteomyelitis. 5. The most common admission periods were 1-2 weeks, and the most patients were discharged within 3 weeks. However, patients who admitted over 5 weeks were about 10%. 6. A total of 99 bacterial strains (1.1 strains per abscess) was isolated from 93 patients (78.2%). The most common bacterium isolated was Streptococcus viridans (46.2%), followed by $\beta$-hemolytic group streptococcus (10.1%). 7. Penicillins (penicillin G 58.3%, oxacillin 80.0%, ampicillin 80.0%) have slightly lower sensitivity. Thus we recommend the antibiotics, such as glycopeptides (teicoplanin 100%, vancomycin 100%) and quinolones (ciprofloxacin 90.0%) which have high susceptibility in cases in which peni cillin therapy failed or severe infections.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.73-77
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• 2014

Keratocystic odontogenic tumor (KCOT) is a benign cystic intraosseous tumor of odontogenic origin. An infection of a KCOT is not common because KCOT is a benign developmental neoplasm. Moreover, a severe deep neck space infection with compromised airway caused by infected KCOT is rare. This report presents a 60-year-old male patient with a severe deep neck space infection related to an infected KCOT due to cortical bone perforation and rupture of the exudate. Treatment of the deep neck space infection and KCOT are reported.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.201-208
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• 2019

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristic features of oral and maxillofacial swellings that could be seen on ultrasonographic examinations. Materials and Methods: Fifty patients with oral and/or maxillofacial swellings were randomly selected, thorough case histories and clinical examinations were done, ultrasonographic examinations with Doppler imaging were performed, and the features of every group were studied. Finally, histopathological evaluations were performed to identify the final diagnosis, according to which patients were classified into 5 groups; group I: inflammatory/space infection and abscess swellings, group II: cystic swellings, group III: lymph node swellings, group IV: benign swellings, and group V: malignant neoplastic swellings. Results: A significant association (P<0.05), with a contingency coefficient of 0.88, was found between the histopathological and ultrasonographic diagnoses, with ultrasonography having a diagnostic accuracy of 89% in diagnosing maxillofacial swellings. The diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography was 100% for lymph node and malignant swellings, followed by 98% for inflammatory and cystic swellings and 92% for benign swellings. The sensitivity of the ultrasonographic diagnosis was 100% for cystic, lymph node, and malignant swellings, followed by 91% for inflammatory swellings and 86% for benign swellings. Conclusion: Ultrasonographic features with Doppler imaging greatly aid in obtaining accurate diagnoses of oral and maxillofacial swellings. Ultrasonography is a recommended imaging tool for differentiating maxillofacial swellings and classifying them accurately.