Morphologic study of mandibles in Japanese patients for mandibular reconstruction with fibula free flaps.
BACKGROUND
In mandibular reconstruction with a fibula flap, 3-dimensional models are sometimes used but are not available to all plastic surgeons. To establish a simpler method, we performed a morphologic study of the mandible.


METHODS
Three-dimensional images of the mandible from 79 Japanese patients were analyzed. Four theoretical osteotomy points were placed on each image and the lengths of each segment and the angles between every 2 segments were measured.


RESULTS
The SDs of the angle formed by the right and left canines and the left mandibular angle; the angle formed by the left canine, the left mandibular angle, and the left condyle; and the segment between the canines were so small that these values would easily be exceeded by manipulation errors during an osteotomy.


CONCLUSIONS
Mandibular bones show a close similarity among Japanese patients. Acceptably accurate osteotomies can thus be performed in Japanese patients without requiring accurate templates.
Tsuchiya
Sunao
S
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Saitama Medical School, Saitama, Japan. sunaot@saitama-med.ac.jp
Sakuraba
Minoru
M
Asano
Takayuki
T
Miyamoto
Shimpei
S
Kimata
Yoshihiro
Y
Hayashi
Ryuichi
R
Nakatsuka
Takashi
T
D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D016025:Bone Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005360:Fibula / Q000601:surgery / Q000637:transplantation*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D058752:Free Tissue Flaps; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006085:Graft Survival; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000208:ethnology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D010027:Osteotomy / Q000379:methods*; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome