Surgical endodontic retreatment.

In teeth with periapical lesions and defective root canal seals non-surgical retreatment is usually preferred. Sometimes, however, such treatment may not be feasible and periapical surgery must be performed. The present study investigated a technique of retrograde root canal treatment as an alternative to the more conventional types of surgical procedure. The material consisted of 35 teeth whose root canals contained posts. In 77 per cent of the cases it was possible to instrument and obturate the root canal up to the post. Following treatment the periapical tissues, as evaluated clinically and radiographically, showed evidence of having healed in 71 per cent of cases.