Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Jan 26, 2021; 9(3): 573-580
Published online Jan 26, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i3.573
Fascial space odontogenic infections: Ultrasonography as an alternative to magnetic resonance imaging
Sreenivasarao Ghali, Girish Katti, Syed Shahbaz, Parita K Chitroda, Anukriti V, Darshan Devang Divakar, Aftab Ahmed Khan, Sachin Naik, Abdulaziz A Al-Kheraif, Chitra Jhugroo
Sreenivasarao Ghali, Anukriti V, Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Nanded Rural Dental College and Research Center, Nanded 431606, Maharashtra, India
Girish Katti, Syed Shahbaz, Parita K Chitroda, Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Al-Badar Dental College and Hospital, Kalaburagi 585102, Karnataka, India
Darshan Devang Divakar, Aftab Ahmed Khan, Sachin Naik, Abdulaziz A Al-Kheraif, Chitra Jhugroo, Department of Dental Health, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia
Author contributions: Ghali S, Katti G, Shahbaz S and Naik S were involved in study design and drafted the manuscript; Chitroda PK, V Anukriti, Divakar DD, Khan AA and Al-Kheraif AA assisted in data analysis and interpretation; Naik S, Al-Kheraif AA and Jhugroo C involved in the acquisition of data and drafting the manuscript.
Supported by King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, No. RSP-2020/31.
Institutional review board statement: Al-Badar Dental College ethical committee. Gulbarga, India
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declares that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.
Data sharing statement: All available data can be obtained by contacting the corresponding author.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Darshan Devang Divakar, MDS, PhD, Research Scientist, Department of Dental Health, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia. darshandevang@gmail.com
Received: July 4, 2020
Peer-review started: July 4, 2020
First decision: November 20, 2020
Revised: November 29, 2020
Accepted: December 23, 2020
Article in press: December 23, 2020
Published online: January 26, 2021
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Modern diagnostic tools have improved maxillofacial radiology. Ultrasonography (USG) is easily available and cost-effective compared to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Research motivation

Odontogenic infections not treated in early stages may lead to life-threatening infection. Considering readily available and cost-effective tools is necessary to diagnose such infections.

Research objectives

The study aimed to explore USG as an alternative model to MRI in detecting the fascial space spread of odontogenic infections.

Research methods

Patients with acute facial swellings were included in the study. The 20 patients with 50 odontogenic infections were clinically examined, and USG and MRI were performed. The diagnosis was based on echogenicity, and the cellulitis and abscess stage was determined.

Research results

Both USG and MRI were accurate in identifying superficial space infections, but MRI was better in identifying the extent and depth of the infection.

Research conclusions

MRI was superior in diagnosing deep fascial infections, but the ultrasound could detect superficial space infections and is readily available, noninvasive, and low cost.

Research perspectives

This study indicates the use of a convenient diagnosing tool such as USG for diagnosing the odontogenic spread of fascial infections.