Selective Curettage: A Conservative Microsurgical Approach to Treating Large and Complicated Lesions

Endodontic microsurgery is a predictable and successful procedure when using techniques that have been developed over the past several years. One of the steps during surgery involves curettage of the entire lesion. However, there are cases in which the lesion has advanced to invade anatomic structures like the nasal fossa, maxillary sinus, mandibular canal, neighboring vital teeth, or through and through to the palate. These lesions make endodontic microsurgery difficult for the operator to execute and have inherent risks to the patient. Selective curettage is a conservative approach to treat such cases by removing approximately 50%-70% of the granulomatous tissue while avoiding complications and damage to the neighboring structures. Three-dimensional cone-beam computed tomographic imaging, 2-dimensional periapical radiographs, and clinical follow-ups of the selective curettage lesions showed complete or incomplete (scar tissue) healing in all cases with no untoward results.