Destruction and regeneration of jawbone after cryogenic application. An experimental study.

On 13 rabbits part of the lateral aspect of the jawbone was frozen with liquid nitrogen in two sessions. The animals were sacrificed 2, 4, 12 and 24 weeks after the cryosurgery. The specimens were analyzed with microangiography according to the Spalteholz technique and with light microscopy. The whole width of the lateral cortex, measuring around 3 mm, was subject to bone destruction two weeks after cryosurgery. New bone formation, on the other hand, was evident in the frozen area and on the undamaged periosteum some distance from the lesion. The same area, 12 weeks after the injury, was completely restored. Bone destruction and regeneration are discussed with special reference to the vascular response to the injury.