J Oral Med Pain.  2023 Sep;48(3):81-86. 10.14476/jomp.2023.48.3.81.

Clinical and Radiological Characteristics in Patients with Postoperative Maxillary Cyst: A Retrospective Study

• Kim HC
• Yoon SJ
• Im YG
• Lee JS

• KMID: 2552122
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14476/jomp.2023.48.3.81

Abstract

Purpose
To evaluate the clinical and radiologic findings of the postoperative maxillary cysts (POMCs) and investigate the relationship between lesion size and clinical symptoms depending on the time elapsed after radical maxillary sinus surgery.
Methods
A total of 29 patients who were diagnosed with POMCs at Chonnam National University Dental Hospital were selected. Clinical and radiologic findings were investigated. POMC cases were divided into two groups: those with <24 years between maxillary sinus surgery and POMC diagnosis and those with >24 years. The chi-square test was used to compare the differences between the two groups.
Results
The average period from surgery to POMC detection was 24.32 years; however, the period could not be confirmed in four patients. The average patient age was 52.75 years, and 12 (41.3%) patients were in their 50s. POMC-related clinical symptoms were as follows: buccal pain and swelling, dull pain, toothache, abscess, sensory abnormality, and asymptomatic. Twenty (69.0%) cases showed unilocular radiolucency and 9 (31.0%) revealed multilocular radiolucency. Seven cases (35.0%) were misdiagnosed as odontogenic lesions, resulting in the delayed treatment of POMCs. No statistical significance was found between the two groups with respect to symptoms, expansion to the surrounding area, presence of secondary cysts, and mesiodistal length of cyst on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. However, the buccopalatal length of the cyst on CBCT images was significantly different between the two groups.
Conclusions
The buccopalatal length of POMCs observed on CBCT images was related to the time elapsed since surgery. The lack of awareness of POMCs may lead to misdiagnosis as an odontogenic infection and delayed treatment. Therefore, dentists must recognize the clinical and radiologic features of POMCs to differentiate it from dental infections.

Keyword

Cysts; Dental; Maxillary sinus; Radiography