Analysis of bone formation after cranial osteotomies with a high-speed drill

Ten New Zealand white 22-week-old rabbits were divided into two groups of five each. The Midas Rex drill with a C-1 drill bit was used to make a full-thickness sagittal osteotomy 2 cm in length. A B-5 bit and footplate attachment were used to make a 2-cm linear osteotomy parallel to the first. Four drill holes 1 mm in diameter were made over the nasal bones on the ipsilateral side. In Group A animals, half of the skull had no irrigation; the other half of the skull was irrigated with room temperature saline. In Group B animals half of the skull was irrigated with iced saline irrigation; the other half of the skull was irrigated with room temperature irrigation fluid, and the osteotomy sites were filled with bone wax. Specimens were harvested at 8 weeks and evaluated grossly and histologically. The results showed that all the drill holes closed in the nasal bones regardless of the type of irrigation used or whether bone wax was used. Iced saline irrigation and room temperature irrigation had similar positive effects on bone formation in contrast to the no-irrigation group, which had inferior bone formation. Bone wax appeared also to have a detrimental effect on bone formation.