抄録
Bone lengthening often performed in orthopedic surgery is a procedure in which bone is lengthened by gradual distraction using a lengthening device. Recently, in oral and maxillofacial surgery also, this method was performed on the pediatric patients with mandibular hypoplasia. This time, we applied this method on lengthening the shortened mandible during fracture treatment.
We experienced a case of pediatric mandibular fracture in a state of nonunion caused by infection after open surgery, which needed mandibular resection and bone graft to be cured. In this treatment, the resected mandible was intentionally shortened and fixed in order to close the opened gingiva on the fracture site, which had been the cause of the infection. And then after healing, the mandible was lengthened again, using a bone lengthening device (ORTHOFIX M-100).
In conclusion, this method was useful in reconstruction of mandible in not only mandibular hypoplasia but also mandibular defect needing bone lengthening and filling.
