Fracture of titanium plates used for mandibular reconstruction following ablative tumor surgery

The purpose of this study was to identify reasons for fracture of titanium mandibular reconstruction plates, when used to bridge lateral mandibular defects after ablative tumor surgery.

Sixteen titanium reconstruction plates from sheep mandibles were examined to identify reasons for the plate fractures. The broken plates and the seemingly unbroken plates were examined separately. The plates were removed from the mandibular bone and inspected by dye penetrant examination, metallography, optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. Furthermore, axial load fatigue tests were performed in two different environments, air and physiologic salt solution, 0.9% NaCl, to compare titanium behavior in air and the human body.

The site of crack initiation was the inner curvature of the reconstruction plate, and the cracks initiated as a result of stress concentration in the shoulder fillet of the plate. The cracks grew in a cyclic manner under masticatory loading of the mandible and the plate. The plate fracture occurred by means of fatigue. The corrosive environment did not affect the failure of the titanium plate, and the fracture was not caused by hydrogen embrittlement. The results revealed that the fatigue properties of the plates may have been impaired by the residual stresses generated in plate bending.

Adjustive bending of the plates, in the surgical operation, may thus be an important cause of fracture of the reconstruction plates, because of generated residual stresses, which affect the mean stress in fatigue loading. To make the plates function without failure the plates should match closely with the three-dimensional shape of the mandible, to avoid any bending in the operative phase.