Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is primarily an adverse side effect of denosumab or bisphosphonates (particularly when used at high doses to prevent skeletal-related events [SREs] in patients with cancer and bone metastases) or possibly anti-angiogenic cancer treatment. While the implementation of preventive measures over recent years has reduced the risk of MRONJ in patients with bone metastases due to cancer, it is imperative to balance the risk of MRONJ against the beneficial effects of treatment with denosumab or bisphosphonates on the skeletal health of patients. Despite growing awareness of MRONJ within the medical community, there is a lack of large-scale, prospective clinical studies in this rapidly evolving field. Discussing preventive measures with patients and implementing them, both before and during treatment with bisphosphonates or denosumab, is the best option to reduce the risk of MRONJ. In particular, avoiding bone trauma and preventing and treating dental infections before and during denosumab or bisphosphonate therapy is crucial to minimize the risk of MRONJ. If MRONJ develops, conservative (non-surgical) treatment can provide symptom relief, but achieving mucosal closure remains challenging. When management of symptoms and mucosal healing are the ultimate goals of therapy, or after failure of conservative treatment, a surgical approach may be beneficial. This critical review, based on a best-evidence review of currently available literature, provides clear practical guidelines to help to prevent, manage and treat MRONJ. Overall, a multidisciplinary, pragmatic approach to MRONJ should be adopted, prioritizing patient's quality of life and management of their skeletal malignant disease.

Skeletal complications caused by osteoporosis or bone metastases are associated with considerable pain, increased mortality, and reduced quality of life. Furthermore, such events place a burden on health care resources. Agents that prevent bone resorption, such as bisphosphonates or denosumab, can reduce the risk of skeletal-related events and are widely used in patients with osteoporosis or bone metastases of cancer. Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is a rare, but potentially serious, adverse event associated with high cumulative doses of bisphosphonates or denosumab. However, MRONJ can be treated, and the likelihood of the development of this condition can be reduced through prophylactic dental care and the maintenance of good oral hygiene. Dentists, as part of a multiprofessional team, have a critical role in preventing MRONJ. This review describes the incidence and pathophysiology of MRONJ and provides guidance for dental practitioners with regard to the screening, prophylactic treatment, diagnosis, and management of patients with this condition. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol 2019;127:117À135) Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is an uncommon condition that can occur after exposure to agents used to prevent bone complications, such as bisphosphonates or denosumab, or treatment with other agents, such as angiogenesis inhibitors. 1 In the majority of cases, MRONJ manifests as exposed bone in the maxillofacial region (Figure 1), although non-exposed MRONJ has also been recognized (Figure 2). 2-5 Bisphosphonates and denosumab are predominantly used to reduce the risk of skeletal complications in patients with bone loss, resulting from long-term cancer treatment or osteoporosis, and in patients with malignant bone disease. 6-8 Bisphosphonates are small molecules that dock in hydroxyapatite-binding sites on bone surfaces. When osteoclasts begin to resorb bisphosphonate-impregnated bone, the liberated bisphosphonates bind to farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase inside the osteoclasts, ultimately leading to apoptosis. 8-10 Denosumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody, which has a different mode of action from that of bisphosphonates. It targets and binds to the receptor activator of nuclear factor k-B (RANK) ligand (RANKL); in doing so it prevents the activation of RANK on the surface of osteoclasts and osteoclast precursors. Inhibition of the RANKLÀRANK interaction impedes osteoclast formation, function, and survival, thereby decreasing bone resorption. 11 MRONJ is more prevalent among patients receiving high cumulative doses of bisphosphonates or denosumab than in patients who receive lower doses. 12,13 The first cases Statement of Clinical Relevance Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw is a rare, but potentially serious, complication of treatment with bisphosphonates and denosumab. It is important for dentists to be aware of ways to identify and treat patients at risk of this condition.

PurposeThe radionuclide bone scan is the cornerstone of skeletal nuclear medicine imaging. Bone scintigraphy is a highly sensitive diagnostic nuclear medicine imaging technique that uses a radiotracer to evaluate the distribution of active bone formation in the skeleton related to malignant and benign disease, as well as physiological processes.MethodsThe European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) has written and approved these guidelines to promote the use of nuclear medicine procedures of high quality.ConclusionThe present guidelines offer assistance to nuclear medicine practitioners in optimizing the diagnostic procedure and interpreting bone scintigraphy. These guidelines describe the protocols that are currently accepted and used routinely, but do not include all existing procedures. They should therefore not be taken as exclusive of other nuclear medicine modalities that can be used to obtain comparable results. It is important to remember that the resources and facilities available for patient care may vary.

PurposeResearch on intravenous fluid therapy and its side effects, volume, sodium, and chloride overload, has focused almost exclusively on the resuscitation setting. We aimed to quantify all fluid sources in the ICU and assess fluid creep, the hidden and unintentional volume administered as a vehicle for medication or electrolytes.MethodsWe precisely recorded the volume, sodium, and chloride burdens imposed by every fluid source administered to 14,654 patients during the cumulative 103,098 days they resided in our 45-bed tertiary ICU and simulated the impact of important strategic fluid choices on patients’ chloride burdens. In septic patients, we assessed the impact of the different fluid sources on cumulative fluid balance, an established marker of morbidity.ResultsMaintenance and replacement fluids accounted for 24.7% of the mean daily total fluid volume, thereby far exceeding resuscitation fluids (6.5%) and were the most important sources of sodium and chloride. Fluid creep represented a striking 32.6% of the mean daily total fluid volume [median 645 mL (IQR 308–1039 mL)]. Chloride levels can be more effectively reduced by adopting a hypotonic maintenance strategy [a daily difference in chloride burden of 30.8 mmol (95% CI 30.5–31.1)] than a balanced resuscitation strategy [daily difference 3.0 mmol (95% CI 2.9–3.1)]. In septic patients, non-resuscitation fluids had a larger absolute impact on cumulative fluid balance than did resuscitation fluids.ConclusionsInadvertent daily volume, sodium, and chloride loading should be avoided when prescribing maintenance fluids in view of the vast amounts of fluid creep. This is especially important when adopting an isotonic maintenance strategy.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s00134-018-5147-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.