Local application of ice bags did not affect postoperative facial swelling after oral surgery in rabbits.

We wanted to find out what effect the local application of ice bags had on facial swelling after oral operations in rabbits. We anaesthetised 26 French rabbits and did identical oral operations simultaneously on the right and left sides of the maxilla. Postoperatively, we applied ice bags to either the right or left side of the face (randomly selected) for 20-min periods for 4h. The transverse dimensions of the right and left sides of the face were measured preoperatively, and 24h, 48h, and 7 days postoperatively. All animals had measurable right and left postoperative facial swelling, but there was no significant difference between the test and control sides 24 or 48h postoperatively and no measurable swelling in any of the animals after 7 days.