Volume 16, Number 4, December 2004
| | Resorbable Plate Fixation for Maxillofacial Fractures and Osteotomies |
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Lop Keung Chow,1 Lim Kwong Cheung,1 Wei Ren2
1Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, and 2Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sun Yat Sen University, Guangzhou, China
Abstract
Objective:To evaluate the clinical morbidity and complications of bioresorbable fixation in orthognathic surgery and maxillofacial trauma.
Patients and Methods: This prospective clinical study was performed at the University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong and Sun Yat Sen University in Guangzhou, China. The BiosorbFX plating system was used for orthognathic surgery at the University of Hong Kong, and patients were evaluated both subjectively and objectively using clinical measures of morbidity at different postoperative follow-up intervals. The Lactosorb bioresorbable plating system was used for trauma patients at Sun Yat Sen University, and patients were checked for any haematological anomaly associated with the material and its metabolites at different postoperative periods.
Results: Forty six patients (30 patients undergoing orthognathic surgical correction and 16 with maxillofacial trauma) were included in the study. In the orthognathic surgery group, the postoperative plate infection rate was 1.8%, the plate exposure rate was 1.2%, and the plate removal rate was 3.6%. Good clinical stability, mild wound discomfort, and a high degree of patient satisfaction with the surgical results were found. For the maxillofacial trauma group, no infection or adverse effects on the blood profile were observed, except for a decreased serum albumin level and an increased lactate dehydrogenase level, both of which may be effects of trauma.
Conclusion: Bioresorbable fixation devices are clinically useful for internal fixation in orthognathic surgery and maxillofacial fractures. They provide adequate stability and are not associated with adverse haematological or biochemical reactions.
Key words: Absorbable implants, Maxillofacial injuries, Surgery, oral
Asian J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2004;16:224-233.
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