Intraoperative use of a gamma probe for the treatment of condylar hyperplasia: description of a new technique.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to describe a new technique to perform a high condylectomy using a γ-probe.

Materials And Methods: A 15-year-old female patient presented with right condylar hyperplasia. Because the condition was active, a high condylectomy was performed to stop the abnormal growth of the affected condyle. To resect an adequate amount of bone and prevent relapse, a γ-probe was used to guide bone removal. The patient was injected with technetium-99m methylene diphosphate 25 mCi 2 hours before she was brought to the operating room. Bone was removed from the superior aspect of the right condyle until the reading with the γ-probe was equivalent to normal bone.

Results: Seven millimeters of bone was removed from the top of the condyle before the γ-emission from the remaining condyle was equivalent to the mandibular parasymphysis used as a control. No relapse was noted 9 months after surgery.

Conclusion: The γ-probe may help a surgeon remove the correct amount of bone when performing a high condylectomy, especially in type II (vertical pattern) condylar hyperplasia.