title: [Giant ameloblastoma of the mandible].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Giant ameloblastomas are more common in developing countries. They raise a serious problem of management. We present the case of one of the largest ameloblastoma ever reported.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 48-year-old Congolese female patient was referred for mandibular swelling having begun 23 years before and now inducing severe functional disorders. A cephalic CT scan revealed a multicystic mass, 30×18×10cm in size, with a typical "soap bubble" presentation, and with thinned and inflated cortical bone. The treatment was sub-total segmental mandibulectomy with immediate reconstruction using a fibular free flap, modeled on the sampling site by four ostectomies. The pathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of a benign follicular and plexiform ameloblastoma. The excess of soft tissue was treated with a right commissuroplasty on the 15th postoperative day. There was no complication.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Radical treatment followed by immediate reconstruction using a free flap is the treatment of choice for giant mandibular ameloblastomas, when considering immediate functional and esthetic benefits. This is a prime concern for patients with a difficult access to health care and for whom long-term follow-up is not feasible.
authors.affiliation: Service de stomatologie, chirurgie maxillo-faciale et chirurgie plastique de la face, centre hospitalier Lyon-Sud, 165 chemin du Grand-Revoyet, Pierre-Bénite, France.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Catherine
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Isaac
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cotton
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rousset
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bouletreau
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Breton
mesh_terms: D000564:Ameloblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D016025:Bone Transplantation; D005260:Female; D005360:Fibula / Q000637:transplantation; D058752:Free Tissue Flaps; D006801:Humans; D008334:Mandible / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008339:Mandibular Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods; D047368:Tumor Burden