[Mandibular sandwich technique build up with lyophilized cartilage]

High resorption rates of onlay bone grafts for augmentation of the atrophic mandible led to the invention of the sandwich technique. In Zurich the first sandwich augmentation procedure with homologous lyophilized cartilage was performed in 1982. 50% of our examined patients were operated on 5 to 8 years ago. We describe the longterm results concerning resorption (23.8% after 4.65 years) and the even integration of the lyophilized cartilage with radiologic evidence of calcification and bony incorporation, even in patients with preoperative severely compromised tissues, as in cases after osteomyelitis or radiotherapy.