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Plate removal following orthognathic surgery
Bart Falter1, Serge Schepers, Luc Vrielinck
1Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, St. John's Hospital, Genk, Belgium.
Summary
Over a quarter of orthognathic surgery patients required miniplate removal due to complications like infection or irritation. Prompt hardware removal effectively managed these issues.
Area of Science:
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
- Biomaterials in Medicine
Background:
- Miniplates are commonly used in orthognathic surgery for skeletal fixation.
- Complications associated with hardware can necessitate removal, impacting patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the outcomes of using miniplates in orthognathic surgery.
- To identify risk factors contributing to the removal of fixation hardware.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 570 orthognathic surgery patients' clinical files (2004-2009).
- Analysis of patient demographics (age, sex) and surgical procedures (bimaxillary, lower jaw, upper jaw osteotomies).
- Documentation of reasons and timing for hardware removal.
Main Results:
- Hardware removal was required in 27.5% of patients.
- Plate-related infection (13.7%) and clinical irritation (11.6%) were primary reasons for removal.
- Women experienced higher rates of plate removal (31.7%) compared to men (20.3%).
Conclusions:
- A significant percentage of patients experience complications requiring miniplate removal after orthognathic surgery.
- Infection is a major complication, while prompt removal is an adequate management strategy.