[Osteosynthesis using resorbable plates in maxillofacial surgery: hopes and disappointments]

The use of absorbable osteosynthesis material has two advantages in maxillofacial surgery: suppressing the possible biological effects of implanted metallic foreign bodies, making second surgery for material removal useless. Although the biotolerance of currently used materials is well known, the authors intended to test their use in the specific conditions of maxillofacial surgery, in which simply extrapolating the data collected in general surgery leads to erroneous conclusion. The authors report the results of a preliminary clinical study on 21 cases of osteosynthesis of the upper third of the face using absorbable plates (18 fractures of the zygomatic bone, 3 maxillary osteotomies). The biotolerance of the material is very good, after more than 3 years for the oldest cases. The mechanical stability of the assembly is sufficient for the selected indications. As regards disappointments, these include the thickness of the plates, the difficulty to adapt them to bony surfaces, the fragility of the screws and the slow resorption of the material.