Experimental observations of canine mandibular regeneration following segmental removal, freezing, and reimplantation

Mandibular replacement subsequent to major extirpative head and neck surgery is predisposed to complications in the best of hands. The most suitable prosthesis appears to be the previously resected mandible, both from the standpoint of antigenicity and configuration. This study establishes that in the canine mandible a healthy, revitalized osseous network is reestablished subsequent to resection, freezing and replacement of the mandibular body when the graft is immobilized. The neoosteogenesis is borne out by in vivo (technetium 99, methylene diphosphonate scanning) and histopathological (tetracycline fluorescence and polarizing microscopy) studies. This early work in the canine suggests the potential for application in the human when the procedure is further refined and perfected.