Pentoxifylline – a review of its use in osteoradionecrosis

Publication date: Available online 27 December 2016
Source:British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Author(s): A.J. Lyons, P.A. Brennan
Pentoxifylline has been used to treat complications related to fibrosis for over 20 years. Formerly used to treat those after radiotherapy such as osteoradionecrosis (ORN), it is now being tried for medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ), which can occur after prolonged use of bisphosphonates. We review theories on the formation of fibrosis in patients with ORN, discuss the pharmacology of pentoxifylline and vitamin E, and report published outcomes. To our knowledge no prospective randomised controlled trial has investigated the benefits of these agents in cases of ORN, but reported outcomes in many published case series are encouraging.



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