The multifocal nature of odontogenic keratocysts

The odontogenic keratocyst, OKC, is a very aggressive intraosseos lesion with a recurrence rate of approximately 25 percent to 60 percent.' The tendency for this lesion to "return" after surgical treatment has prompted studies to obtain more information concerning the inherent nature of the lesion. The OKC lesions are usually treated with enucleation of the soft tissue lining, curettage and ostectomy of the bony margins, or with more aggressive block resection. The purpose of this study was to characterize the multifocal aspect of the OKC and to demonstrate the presence of cystic lesions remote from the margins of the primarily diagnosed cyst itself. A retrospective chart review was conducted of seven patients who had sustained a long history of recurrent OKCs. Three types of documentation were reviewed for each patient: Orthopantomograms, cephalograms, and CT scans, which had been taken over the long-term course of the disease, Detailed operation reports of surgical procedures to treat the OKC lesions, and; Large histologic specimens from the six patients who received total resection of the involved mandibular bodies. These hemimandibulectomy slides offered a unique opportunity to observe OKC activity throughout a wide osseous area. All patients hod been operated multiple times over a period of 10 to 21 years, coming eventually to mandibular resection. The operating surgeon in all of the cases was one of the authors, Philip J. Boyne, DMD, MS, DSc. All patients exhibited the multifocal nature of OKCs with demonstrable cyst formation at distant sites in the mandible. Two patients had local recurrences at the margins of the primary lesion in addition to cyst formation at distant sites. The authors concluded that clinicians should respect the multifocal nature of OKCs. The "recurrences" observed in OKCs may not necessarily be due to the degree of skill of the surgeon or the technique used to eradicate the primary cyst, but instead are probably a reflection of the multifocal nature of the pathologic lesion itself. The OKC is a very aggressive intraosseos lesion of the jaws, which not infrequently clinicians detect in the process of routine oral examination.