Periostitis: treatment and diagnostics

What is a periostitis? Treatment and basic information about this disease will be presented below. Also you will learn about the reasons for this disease, how it manifests itself and is diagnosed.

Basic information

What is periostitis (diagnosis, treatment of this pathology will be considered further)? In modern medicine, this term is used to refer to the inflammatory process that occurs in the periosteum of the bone.

As is known, the periosteum is a connective tissue in the form of a film that is located over the entire outer surface of the bone. Usually the inflammatory process begins in the inner or outer layers of the periosteum, after which it penetrates into its thickness.

Causes of development

Why does the periostitis develop? Treatment of this ailment should be started only after the cause of its occurrence is identified. They include the following:

• Various injuries, including dislocations, bruises, fractures of bones, sprains and tears of the tendons, injuries.
• Inflammation of nearby tissues, which provoked infection of the periosteum.
• Specific causes - inflammation of the periosteum is due to diseases such as tuberculosis, actinomycosis, syphilis and others.
• Toxic causes are the effects of toxins on the periosteal tissue.
• Allergic or rheumatic causes - inflammation arises from the reaction of the periosteum tissue to allergens that have penetrated into it.

Symptoms of the disease

How is periostitis manifested, the treatment of which is described below? Symptoms of this disease depend on its type. Such a disease can be accompanied by a swelling in the site of inflammation with severe pain, an increase in local temperature, a violation of the supporting function, mobility of the skin over the lesion, increased pulse and respiration of the patient, loss of appetite, weakness, rapid fatigue and general depression.

What bones amazes?

The periosteum of the jaws, the photo of which you can find in this article, is an inflammatory process that takes place in the alveolar region of the lower jaw or process of the upper jaw.

Most often, this disease develops because of sick teeth, including undiagnosed or untreated pulpitis or periodontitis. Also, inflammation can be caused by infection in the periosteum from other organs along with the flow of lymph or blood.

If the treatment of such a disease is not carried out on time, then periostitis will provoke fistula development on the gum. As a result of this purulent inflammation can go beyond the periosteum and get into the surrounding tissue, which will cause an abscess or phlegmon.

So how to cure periostitis of the jaw? Treatment of this disease is carried out in exactly the same way as therapy of other inflammations. It should be recalled that periostitis can also affect such organs as:

• tooth;
• Foot;
• shin;
• knee-joint;
• Stop;
• Metatarsal bone ;
• nose;
• Eye socket and others.

Classification of the disease

How is periostitis classified? Treatment of this disease depends on its type and stage of development. In modern medicine, there are several types of the disease under consideration. They depend on the causes of their occurrence and the nature of the inflammatory processes.

1. Exudative periostitis, which includes serous, serous-fibrinous, fibrinous and purulent types.
2. Proliferative periostitis, which includes ossifying and fibrous species.

It should be noted that exudative periostitis proceeds quickly and acutely, and proliferative ones have a chronic nature.

Also the disease in question can be:

• Simple;
• Tuberculosis;
• Syphilitic;
• Gummy and so on.

According to the duration of the course, two different forms of this disease are distinguished:

• Acute periostitis (treatment should be scheduled on time to prevent the process from becoming chronic);
• Chronic (difficult to treat).

In connection with the inflammation of microorganisms, the following types of periostitis are distinguished:

• Purulent (arise as a result of getting into the periosteum of infections).
• Aseptic (arise due to closed injuries of bones, not protected by soft tissues).

Diagnostics

Treatment of purulent periostitis should be started only after diagnosis. Her methods differ depending on the form of the course and the type of illness.

In case of acute illness, a questioning and examination of the patient is effective. Another important aspect is the results of a general blood test. As for the X-ray study, in this case it is ineffective.

With the development of periostitis of the nose, rhinoscopy is often used.

Chronic periostitis is diagnosed by X-ray examination. With the help of the taken picture, it is possible to detect not only the localization of the lesion focus, but also its boundaries, shape, size and nature of the layers. This method also helps to identify necrotic changes in bone tissue and the degree of penetration of the inflammatory process into it.

Differential diagnostics

This procedure is used only if it is required to establish an accurate diagnosis, since the patient has symptoms of several similar diseases.

In purulent and acute periostitis, it should be distinguished from acute osteomyelitis, periodontitis, phlegmon and abscesses caused by other causes, as well as from purulent diseases of lymph nodes, salivary glands and others.

With specific, aseptic and chronic periostitis, X-ray examination is mandatory. It helps to identify growths and thickening on the bone, as well as bone formation and necrotic changes.

It should also be noted that differential diagnosis of chronic disease should be conducted in conjunction with the detection of malignant tumors and osteomyelitis.

In the event that there are serious difficulties with the diagnosis in an X-ray study, then specialists resort to a biopsy.

Periostitis: treatment

Antibiotics, this disease is not always treated.

In the traumatic form of the disease, complete rest is an effective measure in the initial stage of development. Also used are various compresses with ice and physiotherapy, including UHF, ozokerite applications, electrophoresis, ultraviolet radiation. With this form of periostitis, antibiotic drugs are prescribed only if there is a suspected infection of the lesion.

Therapy of aseptic periostitis is performed with the use of physiotherapy. For this use of applications of permanent magnets, which reduce the amount of exudate. At the second stage of treatment, STP or laser therapy is used to restore the structure of the periosteum and resorb its thickenings.

With purulent periostitis, surgical intervention is shown, during which the periosteum dissects, and the existing pus is extracted outward.

As for the acute form of periostitis, it requires not only an operation, but also the prescription of antibiotics, as well as restorative medications, physiotherapeutic procedures and drugs that eliminate intoxication of the body.

With the development of chronic periostitis, the patient is prescribed a course of medications of general strengthening nature and antibiotics. Also, in the treatment of this form of the disease, physiotherapy (laser therapy, paraffinotherapy, iontophoresis with 5% potassium iodide) is shown , which promotes resorption of bone growths and pathological thickenings.

Prevention of disease

Is it possible to get rid of such a disease as periostitis? Treatment at home is not desirable. This is due to the fact that folk methods with such a pathology are ineffective, and a neglected disease can pose a serious threat to the life of the patient.

Prevention of inflammation of the periosteum is the timely removal of the causes that lead to the onset of the disease. For example, periostitis of the jaw or tooth can be prevented by timely treatment of pulpitis, caries and periodontitis.

Aseptic periostitis caused by tuberculosis, osteomyelitis or syphilis can be prevented by therapy of the underlying disease.

Traumatic and posttraumatic types of this disease are prevented by immediate treatment of periosteal tissue injuries by medication and physiotherapy procedures.

Prognosis of the disease

The prognosis of periostitis depends on its form and type, as well as on timely treatment.

Most often, patients manage to get rid of acute and traumatic types of the disease.

With purulent periostitis, especially in advanced cases and untimely treatment, the forecast is unfavorable. In this case, complications such as inflammation of all bone tissues and the onset of sepsis can occur.