Purpose:
To relate radiologic size of preoperative periapical lesion, length of apical resection, and length of retrofill to middle and long term success of apicoectomy.
Materials/Methods:
N=384 roots, 333 teeth, 235 patients.
-patients subjected to ultrasound instrumentation and retrofill with amalgam.
-periapical lesion sizes, amount of apical resection, and amount of retrofill measured via radiographs pre and postop.
-minimum follow up of 12 months.
Results:
-success of 73.9% after 1 yr.
-mean periapical area preop was 37mm^2 (diameter minimum 5-7.4mm maximum).
-mean apical resection 6.48mm^2.
-mean area of retrofill 3.05mm^2.
-positive correlation noted between dimensions of lesion and apical resection with treatment failure.
Clinical Significance:
Prognosis of periapical surgery may improve with smaller preoperative periapical lesion size and smaller amounts of apical resection.