Abstract
Surgical resection of the mandibular bone or surrounding tissues is followed by immediate or secondary reconstruction. Of vital importance are accurate, aesthetic reconstruction of original facial features and restoration of function. Precise dimensional measurement of the surgical area before, during and after operations in individual patients is indispensable. However, a precision gauge suited exclusively for use in mandibular reconstruction has not been develpped so far. Consequently reconstruction has depended on unreliable techniques, usually visual judgements. This occasionally resulted in unexpected depression of the mandibular angle, or facial asymmetry or deformity due to a delicate difference in the thicknesses of surrounding soft tissues. To solve this problem, a precision gauge was newly devised and clinically applied. This instrument facilitated satisfactory and aesthetic reconstruction of the mandible.This instrument is of stainless steel and has a maximum length of 45.5 cm and width of 12cm. The center shaft is mobile. The chin rest at the lower end of the shaft is applied to the anterior center of the chin. This rest is gently curved so to fit the curvature of the chin. The straight shaft is hooked at the lower end to erect vertically upward in the median line of the face. This straight shaft thus passes through the philtrum and nasal apex to the glabella. The 2 clawed arms of the semicircular protractor are adjusted so that the calws will fit bilaterally to the surfaces of the mandibular angles. The arms arc widened or narrowed by sliding the central bar which is stopped by a screw.Preoperative values of the position of the center shaft and the angle of the protractor are recorded and referenced during and after the operation. By obtaining the same values during the operation, the preoperatively bilateral asymmetry can be easily ensured. Many clinical applications produced satisfactory results in the reconstruction of the mandible including the angle. This instrument may be considered to have a significant value.
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