Paper Title
Volume Reduction of Maxillary and Mandibular Cystic Lesions After Marsupialization: A Computerized Three-Dimensional Computed Tomographic Evaluation

Abstract
Marsupialization is the surgical technique of cutting a slit into an abscess or cyst and suturing the edges of the slit to form a continuous surface from the exterior surface to the interior surface of the cyst or abscess. Sutured in this fashion, the site remains open and can drain freely. This technique is used to treat a cyst or abscess when a single draining would not be effective and complete removal of the surrounding structure would not be desirable. This study was performed to evaluate the three-dimensional radiographic variation in mandibular and Maxillary cystic lesions after Marsupialization. � Materials and methods : Pre- and post-marsupialization computed tomography (CT) evaluations in 45 patients affected by keratocysts (n=20), dentigerous cysts (n=10), Radicular cyst (n=5) and ameloblastoma (n=10)were analysed using software designed for three-dimensional measurement of volumes; the results were correlated with treatment duration, age, sex and histological type. � Results :The mean (range) decompression time was 5.70 (3�12)months. The mean (SD) pre- and post-decompression. Volumes were 9.50 (7.74) and 4.65 (4.34)cm3,respectively(P<0.001), with a mean (SD) reduction of 49.86 % (19.34 %).The volume reduction was positively correlated with the duration of decompression and the age of the patient(P<0.001),The median monthly reduction in cyst volume was 11.34 % (mean,13.52 %; range, 4.45�30.43 %) (P<0.001). � Conclusions :This three-dimensional CT investigation demonstrated the effectiveness of Marsupialization in the treatment of maxillary and mandibular cystic lesions and showed a positive correlation between the duration of treatment & age and volume reduction .Clinical relevance Marsupialization treatment, which is simple to perform and generally well-accepted by patients, is areliable method to considerably reduce the volume of maxillary and mandibular cystic lesions before surgical removal. Extended decompression time seems to improve results of the reduction process Keywords- Marsupialization, 3D computed tomography.