Adjuvant Radiotherapy in Patients with Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity or Oropharynx and Solitary Ipsilateral Lymph Node Metastasis (pN1) : A Prospective Multicentric Cohort Study

(1) Background: Evaluation of impact of adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity/oropharynx (OSCC) of up to 4 cm (pT1/pT2) and solitary ipsilateral lymph node metastasis (pN1). A non-irradiated group with clinical follow-up was chosen for control, and survival and quality of life (QL) were compared; (2) Methods: This prospective multicentric comprehensive cohort study included patients with resected OSCC (pT1/pT2, pN1, and cM0) who were allocated into adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) or observation. The primary endpoint was overall survival. Secondary endpoints were progression-free survival and QL after surgery; (3) Results: Out of 27 centers, 209 patients were enrolled with a median follow-up of 3.4 years. An amount of 137 patients were in the observation arm, and 72 received adjuvant irradiation. Overall survival did not differ between groups (hazard ratio (HR) 0.98 [0.55–1.73], p = 0.94). There were fewer neck metastases (HR 0.34 [0.15–0.77]; p = 0.01), as well as fewer local recurrences (HR 0.41 [0.19–0.89]; p = 0.02) under adjuvant RT. For QL, irradiated patients showed higher values for the symptom scale pain after 0.5, two, and three years (all p < 0.05). After six months and three years, irradiated patients reported higher symptom burdens (impaired swallowing, speech, as well as teeth-related problems (all p < 0.05)). Patients in the RT group had significantly more problems with mouth opening after six months, one, and two years (p < 0.05); (4) Conclusions: Adjuvant RT in patients with early SCC of the oral cavity and oropharynx does not seem to influence overall survival, but it positively affects progression-free survival. However, irradiated patients report a significantly decreased QL up to three years after therapy compared to the observation group

Prosthetically guided oral implant surgery. A retrospective cohort study evaluating the 5-year surgical outcome

Purpose: This study primarily evaluated the 5-year implant survival and success rate of prosthetically guided inserted implants. The secondary aim was to evaluate the impact of clinical variables on the development of mucositis, peri-implant bone resorption, peri-implantitis, as well as early and late implant failure. Materials and methods: An observational retrospective single-centre study was conducted on patients who were treated with dental implants in the department of oral and plastic maxillofacial surgery of the military hospital of Ulm University between 2008 and 2010. In all patients, computer-assisted 3D planning after wax-up of the prosthetic restoration and template-guided surgery with titanium implants were performed. Bone augmentation procedures were performed primarily if needed. Intraoperative and postoperative complications as well as technical and mechanical complications after prosthesis loading were evaluated. In a 5-year clinical and radiological follow-up, implant success and implant survival were assessed using descriptive statistics. A multivariable regression analysis evaluated the potential impact of augmentation procedures, wound healing complications, smoking, history of periodontitis, and preoperative API (approximal plaque index) and SBI (sulcus bleeding index) values on peri-implant mucositis, peri-implant bone resorption, peri-implantitis, as well as early and late implant failure. Results: In this study, 466 implants in 283 patients were considered for inclusion, and sufficient data were obtained for analysis from 3678.9%) implants in 229 (80.9%) patients. An overall implant survival rate of 98.1% (n=361/368) at the 5-year follow-up was revealed. According to the success criteria of the study, the 5-year success rate was 97.04% (n=263/271). An early implant failure of 1.07% (n=5/466) was recorded. 48.2% of the implants were affected by peri-implant mucositis (n=122/253), while peri-implant bone resorption was detected in 21.7% of the radiologically examined implants (n=59/271). Fifteen cases of peri-implantitis (5.5%) were detected. Peri-implant bone resorption increased significantly after bone augmentation procedures (p=0.028). Wound healing complications after implantation significantly increased the prevalence of late implant failure in the maxilla (p20% presented significantly higher rates of peri-implant mucositis (p=0.042). Wound healing complications after augmentation, history of periodontitis, and SBI>20% had no significant impact on the study parameters.Conclusions: The study confirms the reliability of prosthetically guided implant surgery, showing a high implant survival and success rate in a 5-year follow-up. Intraoperative complications and technical or mechanical complications after prosthesis loading remain within acceptable clinical limits. The rate of peri-implant mucositis, peri-implant bone resorption, and peri-implantitis was within the current literature range. Optimizing periodontal health and reducing smoking would improve the outcome. Further studies need to clarify the clinical indications and investigate the long-term surgical outcome of this treatment concept

Airway Management of Orofacial Infections Originating in the Mandible

The primary aim of this study was to assess the incidence of a difficult airway and emergency tracheostomy in patients with orofacial infections originating in the mandible, and a secondary aim was to determine the potential predictors of difficult intubation. This retrospective single-center study included all patients who were referred between 2015 and 2022 with an orofacial infection originating in the mandible and who were surgically drained under intubation anesthesia. The incidence of a difficult airway regarding ventilation, laryngoscopy, and intubation was analyzed descriptively. Associations between potential influencing factors and difficult intubation were examined via multivariable analysis. A total of 361 patients (mean age: 47.7 years) were included in the analysis. A difficult airway was present in 121/361 (33.5%) patients. Difficult intubation was most common in patients with infections of the massetericomandibular space (42.6%), followed by infections of the mouth floor (40%) and pterygomandibular space (23.5%). Dyspnea and stridor were not associated with the localization of infection (p = 0.6486/p = 0.4418). Multivariable analysis revealed increased age, restricted mouth opening, higher Mallampati scores, and higher Cormack–Lehane classification grades as significant predictors of difficult intubation. Higher BMI, dysphagia, dyspnea, stridor and a non-palpable mandibular rim did not influence the airway management. Patients with a difficult airway were more likely to be admitted to the ICU after surgery than patients with regular airway were (p = 0.0001). To conclude, the incidence of a difficult airway was high in patients with orofacial infections originating in the mandible. Older age, limited mouth opening, a higher Mallampati score, and a higher Cormack–Lehane grade were reliable predictors of difficult intubation

Adjuvant radiotherapy in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity or oropharynx and solitary ipsilateral lymph node metastasis (pN1) — a prospective multicentric cohort study

(1) Background: Evaluation of impact of adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity/oropharynx (OSCC) of up to 4 cm (pT1/pT2) and solitary ipsilateral lymph node metastasis (pN1). A non-irradiated group with clinical follow-up was chosen for control, and survival and quality of life (QL) were compared; (2) Methods: This prospective multicentric comprehensive cohort study included patients with resected OSCC (pT1/pT2, pN1, and cM0) who were allocated into adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) or observation. The primary endpoint was overall survival. Secondary endpoints were progression-free survival and QL after surgery; (3) Results: Out of 27 centers, 209 patients were enrolled with a median follow-up of 3.4 years. An amount of 137 patients were in the observation arm, and 72 received adjuvant irradiation. Overall survival did not differ between groups (hazard ratio (HR) 0.98 [0.55–1.73], p = 0.94). There were fewer neck metastases (HR 0.34 [0.15–0.77]; p = 0.01), as well as fewer local recurrences (HR 0.41 [0.19–0.89]; p = 0.02) under adjuvant RT. For QL, irradiated patients showed higher values for the symptom scale pain after 0.5, two, and three years (all p < 0.05). After six months and three years, irradiated patients reported higher symptom burdens (impaired swallowing, speech, as well as teeth-related problems (all p < 0.05)). Patients in the RT group had significantly more problems with mouth opening after six months, one, and two years (p < 0.05); (4) Conclusions: Adjuvant RT in patients with early SCC of the oral cavity and oropharynx does not seem to influence overall survival, but it positively affects progression-free survival. However, irradiated patients report a significantly decreased QL up to three years after therapy compared to the observation group