Sequential quantitative radionuclide evaluation of mandibular bone graft repair.

We have developed a noninvasive method to derive quantitative radionuclide data from images of grafted beagle dog mandibles. This method includes an accurate means for localizing the graft in sequential radionuclide images. The resultant data permit quantitative confirmation of the progress of osseous repair in the grafted bones. With this method, it is possible to compare bone repair activity between experimental subjects and also between selected zones within individual bones and thus objectively define the pattern of repair that occurred in various anatomic regions of the grafted mandible.