Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2002, 197 (1)

Case Report

Nonsurgical Treatment for Odontogenic Maxillary Sinusitis Using Irrigation
through the Root Canal: Preliminary Case Report

MASAHIRO IIKUBO, TAKASHI SASANO, NORIAKI SHOJI and MAYA SAKAMOTO

Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, Sendai 980-8575

As a new nonsurgical treatment for odontogenic maxillary sinusitis (OMS), irrigation of the maxillary sinus through the root canal of the causal tooth was carried out to the patient with OMS that had proved refractory to conservative treatments (i.e., root-canal treatment of the causal tooth and antibiotic therapy). Clinical signs, symptoms, and radiographs before and after the new treatment revealed evidence of good healing. The clinical signs and symptoms, such as oppressive pain in the cheek and retrorhinorrhoea, entirely disappeared immediately after the irrigation (which was done only once) without pain, and the obstructed ostiomeatal unit was aerated on the follow-up CT images. There was no side effect associated with saline irrigation, nor any recurrence of symptoms since the irrigation. We therefore propose the irrigation through the root canal of the causal tooth as a new treatment for periapical disease-induced maxillary sinusitis, a technique that should ensure proper ventilation and drainage by relieving obstruction of the ostiomeatal unit.

Keywords —— odontgenic maxillary sinusitis; nonsurgical treatment; ostiomeatal unit; apical periodontitis

© 2002 Tohoku University Medical Press

===============================

Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2002, 197, 47-53

Address for reprints: Dr. Masahiro Iikubo, Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, 4-1 Seiryomachi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8575, Japan.

e-mail: machapy@mail.cc.tohoku.ac.jp