Hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a conservative approach for osteoradionecrosis of the jaw in an osteoporotic patient receiving oral bisphosphonate therapy: a case report

Abstract

Abstract Background Osteoradionecrosis of the jaw (ORNJ) is a well-known chronic side effect of radiotherapy (RT) for head and neck malignancies. Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), similar pathology to ORNJ, may be induced by bisphosphonate (BP) therapy and is known as BP-related ONJ (BRONJ). Although differences exist between ORNJ and BRONJ in terms of clinical features and management methods, ONJ in a patient with history of both RT and BP therapy is categorized as ORNJ in the diagnostic criteria, despite the possibility that the ONJ may be affected by BP considering the pharmacology and mechanism of action. To date, management of ORNJ with a history of BP therapy has been scarcely discussed. Case presentation We report here our experience of serious ORNJ in an 82-year-old osteoporotic woman receiving oral BP therapy. She had undergone partial maxillectomy to treat left maxillary gingival cancer and had received RT of 60 Gy as postoperative treatment. She had a history of osteoporosis, for which she had been administered BP for 8 years and 5 months. A bony sequestrum 45 × 25 mm in size was found at the site of the mandibular ramus, and the clinical diagnosis was ORNJ. We administered hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), scheduled for 3–5 days per week in 2 courses, 35 times. After HBOT, we performed sequestrectomy avoiding invasive surgery such as mandibulectomy. After the surgical procedure the wound healed completely. Bone regeneration was confirmed by computed tomography postoperatively. There have been no signs of recurrence as of 4 years after the operation. Conclusions We undertook a multimodality approach with HBOT and conservative surgery and achieved a satisfactory outcome. HBOT may be worthy of consideration as a conservative approach for ORNJ in patients receiving BP therapy, leading to the possibility of avoiding invasive surgery such as mandibulectomy.