Long-Term Follow-Up of Osseointegrated Orbital Prosthetic Reconstruction

Osseointegrated implants have been used for craniofacial prosthetic reconstruction since 1979. The authors sought to review long-term outcomes of osseointegrated orbital reconstruction at the Institute for Reconstructive Sciences in Medicine (iRSM).

Twenty-six patients have undergone osseointegrated orbital prosthetic (OOP) reconstruction at iRSM since 1991. A retrospective chart review was performed and patient satisfaction assessed through a questionnaire used in previous osseointegration studies. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between smoking, age, sex, and previous radiation treatment with the occurrence of skin reactions and implant failures. A χ test was used to assess the relationship between implant position within the orbit and development of a skin reaction or implant failure.

Patients received an average of 5.8 implants during the course of treatment. Follow-up ranged from 6 months to 24 years (mean = 10.6 years). A statistically significant correlation was found between skin reaction and age (P = 0.022), with younger patients more likely to develop a reaction. No variables in our model were significant for predicting implant failure. Overall, there were 39 failures of 155 osseointegrated implants, for a success rate of 74.8%. There was no relationship between skin reaction and implant failure compared to implant position within the orbit. Survey responses were received from 11 of 19 patients (58% response rate). Ninety-one percent of patients were overall satisfied with their prosthesis.

There are minimal contraindications for consideration of OOP reconstruction. Patients find their prosthesis comfortable, report increased self-confidence, and are happy to have undergone reconstruction.