Reconstrucción de defectos mandibulares: bloque acrílico como mantenedor de contorno de tejidos.

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Introduction: The treatment of large mandibular tumors has anatomic and functional sequelae to the patient. Reconstruction of these defects is a challenge to the surgeon, whereas grafting is the first choice treatment in most cases, its application could be limited by conditions such as a communication with the oral environment. The present article intends to present the use of a methacrylate block as an interim device between resection and reconstruction in situations such as the above described. Case Report: An adult female affected by mandibular ameloblastoma is treated by surgical resection and kept with the aid of a methacrylate block in the resected area for 6 months, allowing closure of the communication between the lesion and the oral environment to be posteriorly treated with a free iliac crest graft. Discussion: Functional and esthetic implications of mandibular resection sequelae mandate a thorough reconstruction of the lasting defects. By the proposed procedure a better prognosis for the reconstruction is achieved when using a bone graft in the setting of a lesion communicated with the oral environment, allowing good morphological and functional results.