10.

5005/jp-journals-10005-1113
Deepak Raisingani

SHORT COMMUNICATION

Apexum: A Minimum Invasive Procedure

Deepak Raisingani
Associate Professor, Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Mahatma Gandhi Dental College and Hospital
Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Correspondence: Deepak Raisingani, Associate Professor, Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Mahatma Gandhi
Dental College and Hospital, RICCO Institutional Area, Sitapura, Jaipur-302022, Rajasthan, India, e-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT
The new Apexum procedure (Apexum Ltd, Or-Yehuda, Israel) is based on a minimally invasive removal of periapical chronically inflamed
tissues through a root canal access. Apexum procedure (a novel method that allows for the removal or debulking of periapical tissues without
using scalpels, periosteal elevators, or sutures) results in significant less postoperative discomfort or pain than conventional root canal treatment
or than reported for conventional apical surgery. The removal or debulking of the periapical inflamed tissues, using the Apexum procedure,
seems to enhance healing kinetics with no adverse events.
Keywords: Apexum, Healing, Minimally invasive, Periapical lesions.

INTRODUCTION
Lesions of apical periodontitis represent an inflammatory
response to bacterial infection of the root canal. Periapical
radiolucencies is the most pronounced clinical hallmark of
these lesions. Most, but not all, periapical lesions will heal
in response to properly performed endodontic treatment.
However, an evidence-based estimation to assess the healing
potential cannot be performed before 12 months after
surgery. In an extensive study, rstavik concluded that, at
6 months, only 50% of the cases that will eventually heal
show clear signs of healing (advanced and complete
healing), and at 12 months, 88% of the lesions that will
eventually heal show clear signs of healing.1 This may imply
that a case should ideally be followed for 12 months before
the tooth may be considered a safe abutment.2
Such a time schedule is difficult to follow in everyday
clinical practice because both the dentist and patient are
eager to finish the case with a permanent restoration as soon
as possible. The prolonged healing process of many
periapical lesions has been attributed to the activated
macrophages in the lesion that may maintain their state of
activation long after the initial cause of their activation has
been eliminated by root canal treatment; namely, the
activation state may outlive its useful purpose and become
a burden by inhibiting resolution of the lesion. The healing
of similar lesions after apical surgery is much faster.3
Kvist and Reit4 have shown that surgically treated
lesions of apical periodontitis healed during the first 12
months with significantly enhanced kinetics compared with
those treated with nonsurgical retreatment. This was true
even though both groups had similar healing rates over

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longer time periods. Fast healing of periapical lesions after

apical surgery is a common clinical observation. These
observations may indicate that surgical removal of the
chronically inflamed periapical tissue may allow a fresh
blood clot to form, which will then organize into an
uncommitted granulation tissue and allows for faster
healing. Performing apical surgery on every case with a
periapical lesion will most likely enhance healing kinetics.
Nevertheless, it can hardly be justified because surgery has
repercussions for the well-being of the patient; swelling,
pain and discomfort are among the expected side effects.5
Furthermore, many anatomic locations preclude apical
surgery either because of inaccessibility or risk to adjacent
structures. In accordance, the American Association of
Endodontists recommends performing apical surgery only
in cases that cannot be treated otherwise.6
Recently, a novel method was introduced that allows
for the removal or debulking of periapical tissues without
using scalpels, periosteal elevators or sutures.7 This method
is based on a device that removes the chronically inflamed
periapical tissues through a root canal access by a procedure
that is minimally invasive compared with open-flap apical
surgery. The new technology (Apexum Ablator; Apexum
Ltd, Or- Yehuda, Israel) has the possibility of providing
some of the benefits of apical surgery without the drawbacks
of the conventional surgical procedure. This technological
advancement may allow for the application of such a protocol
in many cases in which healing time is a critical factor.
APEXUM DEVICES
The Apexum kit consists of two devices, the Apexum NiTi
Ablator and Apexum PGA Ablator, designed to be used
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Apexum: A Minimum Invasive Procedure

sequentially. Both instruments are for single use and were

provided by Apexum Ltd. The Apexum NiTi Ablator
consists of a specially preshaped Nitinol wire. One end is
bent and is designed to enter the periapical tissues through
the root canal and apical foramen, whereas the other end
has a latch-type connector to allow its operation by a lowspeed contra-angle handpiece. The bent part is initially
concealed in a straight superelastic Nitinol tube that serves
as a sheath allowing its introduction up to the apical foramen
(Fig. 1). When pushed, the wire emerges from its sheath
and through the apical foramen and resumes its preshaped
form (Figs 2 and 3). The special retrograde design of the
bent part allows it to rotate in the periapical soft tissues at
200 to 250 rpm and coarsely grind them while being
deflected from the surrounding bone (see Fig. 3). The Nitinol
sheath is used first to allow the introduction of the prebent
Nitinol wire to the apical foramen and second to allow
unobstructed rotation of the wire in the root canal without
twisting of the wire.

Fig. 1: The Apexum NiTi Ablator in its sheath

Fig. 2: The Apexum NiTi Ablator pushed in and extruded from its
sheath (arrow)

Fig. 3: An enlarged view of the active part of

the Apexum NiTi Ablator

The second device is the Apexum PGA Ablator, built

from a Nitinol shaft, equipped on one end with a latch-type
connector to allow its operation by a low-speed contra-angle
handpiece (Fig. 4). At the other end, a bioabsorbable
filament is attached, which is designed to enter the periapical bony crypt and rotate at 5,000 to 7,000 rpm, turning
the tissue that was initially minced with the NiTi Ablator
into a thin suspension that may be flushed through the root
canal.

Fig. 4: Apexum PGA Ablator

Apexum Procedure
A #20 K-file is passed through the apical foramen and
beyond the apex to verify patency. It was followed by a
rotary #30 file that is passed 1 mm beyond the apical
foramen, creating a passage. The Apexum NiTi Ablator is
then inserted, while encased in its sheath, to the working
length as established at the cleaning and shaping stage. The
sheath is stabilized to the occlusal surface of the tooth using
glass-ionomer cement (Fig. 5). The Nitinol filament is then
pushed manually through the enlarged apical foramen and
into the periapical tissues. The filament is first rotated
manually to verify mobility with no solid obstruction and
then attached to a low-speed contra-angle handpiece.
The NiTi Ablator is then rotated in the periapical tissues
for 30 seconds at 200 to 250 rpm to initially mince the tissue
(Fig. 6). The stabilizing glass-ionomer cement is then

Fig. 5: Apexum procedure

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Deepak Raisingani

tooth extraction or surgical intervention. With some

experience, it will take an additional 7 to 10 minutes
compared with a conventional root canal treatment.
DISCUSSION

Fig. 6: The Apexum NiTi Ablator in a periapical lesion. The NiTi

Apexum Ablator fully extruded from its sheath (arrow) and into the
periapical lesion

removed and the NiTi Ablator withdrawn from the root canal
with its sheath to examine it for any mechanical damage or
missing parts. The root canal is rinsed with sterile saline,
and the Apexum PGA Ablator is manually inserted through
the root canal and into the periapical tissues. It is then
connected to a low-speed contra-angle handpiece and rotated
for 30 seconds at 5,000 to 7,000 rpm to turn the minced
tissues into a thin suspension. Next, it is withdrawn from
the root and examined for any mechanical damage or
missing parts. The tissue suspension is now washed out with
sterile saline solution by using a syringe adapted with a 30-G
blunt needle. The needle is passed through the enlarged
apical foramen into the periapical space, and the solution is
slowly and gently injected to flush the tissue suspension
out. The cross-sectional area between the enlarged apical
foramen and the outer surface of the needle is 3.4 times
larger than that of the needles lumen. This facilitated an
unobstructed backflow and prevented pressure build up in
the periapical crypt. Nevertheless, special attention is given
to visually monitor the backflow of the blood red suspension
through the root canal continuously so that pressure build
up did not occur in the periapical space. To allow for
continuous monitoring, aspiration is performed at a distance
from the access cavity so that the operator could visually
evaluate the in- and outflow rates. The suspension will turn
pale during the process, and the flushing is stopped and the
needle removed when clear solution appeared. The root
canal is then dried with sterile paper points and obturation
conducted followed by a glass-ionomer cement temporary
filling and a postoperative radiograph.
The Apexum procedure is performed under local
anesthesia, provided in a manner similar to that used for

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The new Apexum procedure represents a shift from the

current endodontic paradigm. Foremost, it does not limit
the endodontic intervention only to remove the cause
(bacteria) and then allowing the host to heal at its own pace,
and, furthermore, the device enters the periapical lesion far
beyond the apical foramen, a process expected by many
operators to result in a flare-up or severe symptoms.8,9 These
results are rather surprising because the current paradigm
is that the insertion of an endodontic instrument far beyond
the apical foramen should be avoided by all means because
it is likely to cause a flare-up, a painful exacerbation of
the periapical inflammatory process. It should be noted that
the Apexum procedure is substantially different from simple
overinstrumentation during root canal treatment. The last
traumatizes the tissue and may also introduce bacterial
antigens into a tissue containing immunoglobulins directed
against these antigens and that is primed to respond to them
(When this happens, acute inflammatory response with
resulting edema is likely to occur in the periapical tissue,
resulting in a flare-up.8,9
It is most likely that with the removal or major debulking of the periapical chronically inflamed tissues, the
mechanisms that could otherwise lead to such a flare-up
were also removed.
This may explain the quite uneventful postoperative
clinical behavior with Apexum procedure. Whether the
Apexum procedure is able to remove all of the periapical
inflammatory tissue, as is usually attempted in conventional
apical surgery, is doubtful. Most likely, the Apexum
procedure removed all of this inflamed tissue in some
lesions, whereas major debulking occurred in others. In
any case, the procedure created conditions that allowed for
faster healing of the lesions. Because the term removal
may be misinterpreted as complete removal, the term
removal or debulking was chosen to describe the
mechanical effect of the Apexum procedure on the periapical tissues.
Other field of dentistry that can benefit from this technique
is implantology: When a broken-down tooth with a large
periapical lesion has to be extracted and replaced by an
implant, the implantologist is presented with a dilemma: if
there was no bone defect around the apex, an immediate
implant could be successfully placed. However, when there
is a large periapical lesion and no bone to engage the
implants apical part, augmentation will be required which
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Apexum: A Minimum Invasive Procedure

becomes either a long and expensive story or a compromised

procedure.
Of course, the implantologist would prefer to have bone
at the depth of the extraction socket. It is precisely such
bone augmentation that the Apexum procedure provides
within a relatively short time. Furthermore, the
implantologist will also be happy to preserve the alveolar
socket walls for his implant. These requests can reproducibly
be provided by the natural tooth which will be retained in
its socket until the day of extraction.10
Thus, conducted in the same manner as in endodontic
cases, the Apexum procedure will also serve as a preparatory
stage for immediate implant placement in extraction sites
of compromised teeth with large periapical lesions.
However, there are lot of controversies associated with
this technique; widening of apical foramen to more than
size 30, the extent of root canal preparation at its apical end
is subject of much debate.
Other issues to be addressed are about management of
procedural errors (instrument separation, etc.).
CONCLUSION
So far the Apexum (minimally invasive procedure) resulted
in significantly less postoperative discomfort or pain than
conventional root canal treatment or than that reported for
conventional apical surgery. The Apexum procedure has
resulted in a significantly faster periapical healing as
compared with conventional root canal treatment. The

removal or debulking of the periapical inflamed tissues,

using the Apexum procedure, seems to enhance healing
kinetics with no adverse events.
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2. Friedman S. Prognosis of initial endodontic treatment. Endod
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3. Figdor D. Apical periodontitis: A very prevalent problem. Oral
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651-52.
4. Kvist T, Reit C. Results of endodontic retreatment: A
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5. Kvist T, Reit C. Postoperative discomfort associated with
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Traumatol 2000;16:71-74.
6. Appropriateness of Care and Quality Assurance Guidelines
(3rd ed). Chicago, IL: American Association of Endodontists
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8. Siqueira J. Reaction of periradicular tissues to root canal treatment:
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