title: Effect of extracorporeal shock waves on subcondylar mandibular fractures.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on healing of subcondylar mandibular fracture in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Unilateral subcondylar fracture in 20 Wistar albino rats was used as a fracture model. Each rat was anesthetized 1 day after surgery, and extracorporeal shock wave therapy was performed. On the 21st day after surgery, animals were killed. Mandibles were dissected, all soft tissues were removed after sacrifice, and fractured and nonfractured hemimandibles were obtained from each rat. Histologic analyses were performed by a single pathologist blinded to the samples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The specimens' mean score in bone fracture healing was 7 (1.09) (range, 6-9) in group 1 and 2.57 (1.62) (range, 1-6) in group 2. With respect to the specimens' bone fracture healing score, there was a statistically significant difference between the 2 groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As a result, our study showed that extracorporeal shock wave therapy accelerated the improvement of fractures in experimentally induced subcondylar mandibular fracture in the rat mandible. We believe that reducing the duration of improvement in subcondylar mandibular fractures by intermaxillary fixation along with extracorporeal shock wave theraphy would contribute to preventing complications such as ankylosis, fibrosis, and hypomobility occuring because of prolonged fixation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey. ealtunta@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Emine Elif
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Altuntaş
authors.forename: Zekeriya
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Oztemur
authors.forename: Hatice
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozer
authors.forename: Suphi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Müderris
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D017102:Fracture Healing; D019220:High-Energy Shock Waves; D008337:Mandibular Fractures / Q000628:therapy*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar