Usefulness of Absorbable Plate for Facial Bone Fracture Accompanying Malocclusion

Kang, Sang Yoon; Seo, Sang Hoon; Park, Jun; Cho, Sang Hun

Abstract

At the present day, the metallic rigid fixation is used universally in facial bone fracture surgery. However, these metallic plating system have problems associated with growth restriction in pediatric patients, intracranial migration, increase risk of infection, palpability, and exposure. To overcome these problems, absorbable devices have been developed and used in the reconstruction of pediatric craniofacial deformities before early stages and in the facial bone fracture of adult recently. However, the usefulness of fixation for the force vector affecting region was not verified. From October 2000 to August 2001, absorbable fixation system(BiosorbFX(R) Bionix Implants inc.) was used in 10 open reduction of facial bone fracture with malocclusion; 5 patients with Le Fort I or Le Fort II fracture, 1 patient with maxillary-sagittal fracture, 4 patients with mandible fracture. All the patients, the malocclusion was corrected with no complications, and stabilized fixation was achieved after average 8 months follow up period. These results show usefulness of absorbable devices for fixation of force vector affecting region.