Osseointegrated Implants for Orbito-Facial Prostheses: Common Complications and Solutions

To evaluate anatomical and functional results of osseointegration with magnetic coupling for oculofacial prosthetic rehabilitation after exenteration.

This retrospective study included 11 consecutive patients who received orbital reconstruction and oculofacial prosthetic rehabilitation between September 2015 and October 2019. Patient demographics, surgical indications, previous treatment procedures, histopathologic features, and reconstructive procedures were recorded.

The mean age was 37.81 ± 23 years (range 5-78 years). The mean follow-up was 23.81 ± 12 months (range 10-48 months). The principal diagnoses were squamous cell carcinoma of the eyelids (n = 2/11), mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the maxillary sinus (n = 2/11), rhabdomyosarcoma (n = 1/11), mucormycosis (n = 1/11), neurofibromatosis (n = 1/11), basosquamous carcinoma (n = 1/11), malign melanoma (n = 1/11), primitive neuroectodermal tumor (n = 1/11), and retinoblastoma (n = 1/11). Six of the patients were repaired by primary closure. Procedures performed to reconstruct the orbital cavity included split-thickness skin graft (n = 2/11), temporalis muscle flap (n = 2/11), and frontalis muscle flap (n = 1/11). Nine of the 11 patients who received orbital implants were successfully rehabilitated by epithesis. Postoperative complications included implant loss (n = 4/11), periprosthetic local infection (n = 3/11), and soft tissue overgrowth around the orbital prosthesis (n = 2/11). All patients had Straumann bone level implant (Basel, Switzerland) osseointegrated titanium implants (3.5 mm) placed in a 2-stage procedure over a span of 3 to 4 months with subsequent successful prosthesis fitting.

The reconstructive methods following orbital exenteration, should be customized according to the patients' characteristics such as extension of the orbital defect, bone quality, and expectations to achieve satisfactory results.