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Measurement of torque during mandibular distraction
Fernando D Burstein1, Saylan Lukas, Dina Forsthoffer
1Center for Craniofacial Disorders, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. FBurstein@aol.com
The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery
|June 4, 2008
Summary
Mandibular distraction in children requires modest forces, with older patients needing more torque. These findings suggest flexibility in designing distraction devices for pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Craniofacial surgery
- Pediatric orthopedics
Background:
- Mandibular hypoplasia presents significant challenges in pediatric patients.
- Distraction osteogenesis is a common surgical technique to correct mandibular deformities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the torque forces during mandibular distraction in pediatric patients.
- To determine the relationship between patient age and required distraction torque.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 26 pediatric patients (9 days to 12 years) undergoing mandibular distraction (18 bilateral, 8 unilateral).
- Torque measurements were recorded during the distraction process.
- Analysis of torque requirements based on patient age and distraction length.
Main Results:
- A modest, linear increase in torque was observed during mandibular distraction.
- Older pediatric patients required significantly more torque to achieve the same distraction length compared to younger patients.
- The overall distraction forces were found to be relatively modest.
Conclusions:
- The modest forces involved in pediatric mandibular distraction offer potential for innovative distractor designs.
- Understanding age-related torque variations can inform surgical planning and device selection.
- Further research into distractor design optimization is warranted based on these findings.
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