India performs its first autologous lower jaw surgery in Navi Mumbai

Mumbai : The first ever mandible (lower jaw) implant surgery through autologous regeneration was carried out at MGM Hospital in Navi Mumbai on Monday.

This implant was carried out by Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon Shushrut Vaidya by reconstruction through regeneration of the patient?s own body tissue with the help of a unique therapy called Ossron.

Vaidya is also one of the key faculty members in the Dept. of Maxillofacial Surgery, MGM Dental College, Navi Mumbai.

Minakshi Kudekar, a Mumbai resident female patient aged 39 years, was having a 5 x 2 x 1cm defect in her jaw with compromised function and facial deformity. She was diagnosed withAmeloblastic Fibroma.

After having consulted Vaidya, she decided to do Ossron, a two staged cell (osteoblast) therapy procedure. As the first step, a Biopsy was performed on 27th July 2010 at the hospital.

?Autologous cultured cell technology has created a new dimension in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, which will diminish the burden of risks associated with auto and allografts?, says Dr. Satyen Sanghavi, Chief Scientific Officer, Regrow.

?Regenerating patient?s own bones would be like giving her an original jaw, thus in future she can fix permanent prosthesis (denture),? said Vaidya.

Ameloblastoma is a benign tumor of odontogenic epithelium commonly appears in the mandible. While these tumors progress slowly, the resulting lesions can cause severe abnormalities of the face and jaw.

Additionally, because abnormal cell growth easily infiltrates and destroys surrounding bony tissues, wide surgical excision is required to treat this disorder. Even then, the defect remains permanent and there is no treatment available.

Post the biopsy, Vaidya sent the sample of the cell from patient?s body to ?Cell Processing Center? of leading biotechnology company Regrow, where it was isolated, differentiated and osteoblasts were cultured for five weeks.

Finally, this morning, on September 7, the cultured osteoblasts cells which have the regenerative capability were implanted on the defect site of the patient. Thus, now this implant will start to form new bone growth at the defect area.

?We were very happy that the implant was done through autologous reconstruction using Meenakshi?s own body tissue, thus, making the treatment absolutely natural and safe?, said the patient?s husband.