The use of enucleation and liquid nitrogen cryotherapy in the management of odontogenic keratocysts

Purpose: This study evaluated the use of enucleation and cryosurgery in the management of odontogenic keratocysts. Patients and Methods: This study involved a retrospective review of 26 patients. All of the patients received a combination of enucleation and cryosurgery. Postoperative follow-up consisted of clinical and radiographic examinations. Results: Before enucleation and cryotherapy, 22 of the 26 patients had received previous treatment consisting of enucleation alone. The average time from initial treatment to recurrence was 6.2 years. Twenty-three cases occurred in the mandible, 22 in the posterior (proximal to the canine), and 1 in the anterior mandible. Three cases involved the maxilla. Three of the 26 patients (11.5%) developed a recurrence after treatment. The average time from treatment to recurrence in these 3 patients was 1.6 years (range, 1.2 to 1.9 years). The remaining 23 patients (88.5%) had no evidence of clinical or radiographic recurrence. The average time of follow-up was 3.5 years (range, 2.0 to 10.0 years). Conclusions: Based on these results, the combination of enucleation and liquid nitrogen cryotherapy may offer patients improved therapy in the management of odontogenic keratocysts.