JAPANESE JOURNAL OF ORAL & MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY

Vol. 55 No. 5       2009

ISSN: 0021-5163      UBIC: 151-J

ABSTRACT

Ameloblastoma is a typical benign odontogenic tumor that occurs in the jaw. Common treatment methods for cystic ameloblastoma include fenestration, in which the cystic cavity is exposed to the oral cavity by resecting a part of the cyst wall along with the mucosa and bone, and the dredging method, in which the tumor is totally resected and the surface of the bone wound is covered with a piece of gauze or other material. In the latter method, bone regeneration is promoted by repeatedly extirpating scar tissue, which inhibits osteogenesis, at appropriate intervals. Although segmental resection and other types of jaw resection are performed in patients with recurrence, resection of the inferior alveolar nerve with reconstruction using a bone graft is required. We describe the surgical excision of an ameloblastoma that recurred in the posterior part of the mandibular ramus after treatment by the dredging method. We used an extraoral approach in which the lateral cortical bone of the mandibular ramus was removed without performing segmental resection. The morphology and function of the jaw were preserved by this method. We report on a patient who was treated by this operative procedure. Keywords: surgical excision, recurrent ameloblastoma, extraoral approach.

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