Reconstruction and rehabilitation of a patient with mandibular ameloblastoma by resection and reimplantation: a case report

One of the significant aspects in the treatment of extensive pathological bone lesions is the reconstruction of the created defect due to lesion resection. This article is a report of the defect reconstruction which was created in the mandible due to resection of an ameloblastoma using a two-stage procedure which was carried out at first by freezing the mandibular bone segment in liquid nitrogen followed by reimplantation of the mandibular body in its bed. Case report : This case is a 18-year-old man with mandibular ameloblastoma which was treated by hemimandibulectomy. The segment was immersed in liquid nitrogen and freezed for 4 months before reimplantment in the defect place in order to freeze and kill the residual tumor cells and as the framework after being filled with the patient’s autogenous bone and bone marrow was consequently fixed in its place with miniplate. The grafts conformed to the receiving site thoroughly and there was minimum asymmetry in the face. The use of autogenous bone from the same region for reconstruction had a positive effect on the patient psychologically. The bone constructed with the best quantity and quality where the implants were inserted. This technique may be used as an alternative method for reconstruction of bone defects due to resection of mandibular pathological lesions together with other methods such as the free iliac crest graft or the fibula graft and also other methods.