Conservative endodontic therapy following the removal of a "globulomaxillary cyst"--a case report and review of literature.

Summary. A cyst was removed from the right maxilla and diagnosed by a hisiopathologist as being ‘globulomaxillary’ in origin. The area failed to heal until conservatrve endodontic therapy was undertaken for three adjacent teeth. Prior to the enucleation the vitality of these teeth had only been tested by the response to ethyl chloride. On its own, this test is considered to be inadequate for the confirmation of ‘vital’ teeth which is necessary if the cyst is to be diagnosed as ‘globulomaxillary’. Very grave reservations already exist in relation to the concept of ‘globulomaxillary cysts’ and the term is again deprecated because the adjacent teeth were non-vital and the area only healed following endodontic therapy. Calcium hydroxide was used as an intermediate dressing and one tooth was obturated using a combination of calcium hydroxide and amalgam. The patient had also had radiotherapy following the removal of a medulloblastoma 12 years previously.