No abstract

In this prospective study 47 edentulous patients were treated with mandibular fixed prostheses supported by osseointegrated Brånemark implants and followed for 12 to 15 years. Three (1%) of the 273 inserted implants were lost, two before and one six years after placement of the fixed prosthesis. The cumulative success rate (CSR) of the implants was 98.9% both after 10 and 15 years. None of the fixed prostheses was lost and at the last follow-up, all patients had stable fixed prostheses in function (CSR 100%). The marginal bone loss around the implants was small, on average 0.5 mm during the first post surgical year and thereafter about 0.05 mm annually. More bone was lost around the anterior implants than around the most posterior ones. Smoking and poor oral hygiene had significant influence on bone loss, while occlusal loading factors such as maximal bite force, tooth clenching and length of cantilevers were of minor importance. It is concluded that the long-term results of the mandibular implant treatment were extremely successful, regarding both the fixed prostheses and implant stability. Bone resorption around the implants, albeit limited, was influenced by several factors, smoking and oral hygiene appeared to be most important.

No abstract

Of 250 consecutively admitted patients with central nervous system (CNS) infections who were treated during a 1-year period, all 133 patients with tickborne encephalitis (TBE) were included in a prospective follow-up study. TBE presented as mild (meningeal) in 43.6% of patients and as moderate or severe (encephalitic) in 43.6% and 12.8% of patients, respectively. Paralytic disease was observed in 3.8% of the subjects, and cranial nerve injury was observed in 5.3%. One patient died of TBE. Permanent CNS dysfunction after 1 year was found in 30.8% of patients; in 8.5% of all TBE cases, severe disabilities required adjustment of daily activities. Corticosteroid treatment did not seem to improve outcome. A progressive course of TBE was noted in 2 patients. The risk of incomplete recovery was significantly higher among patients with the encephalitic form of TBE (odds ratio, 4.066; 95% confidence interval, 1.848-8.947). In conclusion, TBE is an important pathogen in CNS infection in the Kaunas region of Lithuania, and it causes long-lasting morbidity in one-third of cases.