Use of Vancomycin-Impregnated Calcium Sulfate in the Treatment of Osteomyelitis of the Jaw

Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe the effect of vancomycin-impregnated calcium sulfate in the treatment of osteomyelitis of the jaw. Materials and Methods: Twelve patients who were diagnosed with osteomyelitis of the jaw underwent treatment with vancomycin-impregnated calcium sulfate since July 2014 at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, China Medical University (Shenyang, China). All patients underwent debridement of nonviable bone and implantation of vancomycin-impregnated calcium sulfate. The wounds were covered with an acellular dermal matrix and sutured. Results: Ten patients had satisfactory wound healing. However, 2 cases of maxillary central osteomyelitis had delayed wound healing. The wounds healed after the surgical site was resutured under local anes-thesia. At 3 months, the panoramic radiograph showed that most implants had been reabsorbed and replaced by new bone formation. All patients in this study had no recurrence of infection at 6 to 18 months (mean, 10.8 months) of follow-up. Conclusions: The use of vancomycin-impregnated calcium sulfate in the surgical debridement site for chronic osteomyelitis of the jaw has shown encouraging results. In addition, calcium sulfate can promote the formation of new bone to a certain extent. (C) 2016 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons