Through-and-through cystic lesion: spontaneous healing after needle aspiration and conventional root-canal therapy

Inflammation-related pathologies such as apical periodontitis or radicular cysts are frequent lesions of the jawbones. Typically, a radiolucency is present that is not always distinguishable from other pathologies. A surgical approach would allow for tissue harvesting with further histopathologic processing. However, in the present case report of a cystic and large tunnelling lesion in the anterior maxilla, a conservative treatment with diagnostic needle aspiration and subsequent root-canal therapy was chosen. The long-term follow-up (eight years) including cone-beam computed tomography demonstrates a complete healing of the former bone defect with reestablishment of the vestibular and palatal cortices as well as absence of pain and other clinical symptoms.