Quantitation of blood flow in the rat mandible after vertical osteotomy.

Vertical osteotomies were performed in the mandibles of rats and combined with elevations of the buccal or bilateral mucoperiosteal pedicles. Isotope fractionation and particle distribution were used to measure blood flow in the distal and proximal segments of the mandible, the masseter muscle and the submandibular gland. Average decrease in blood flow ranged from 9-39% in the distal segment and from 8-24% in the proximal segment. Decrease in blood flow was most pronounced when bilateral mucoperiosteal pedicles were performed. Blood flow in the masseter muscle increased by 16-26% after osteotomy with mucoperiosteal elevations.