Bos R R, Rozema F R, Boering G, Nijenhuis A J, Pennings A J, Jansen H W
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands.
Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 1989 Dec;27(6):467-76. doi: 10.1016/s0266-4356(89)80004-x.
Poly (L-lactide), a polymer of lactic acid (PLLA), with an extremely high molecular weight (Mv up to 1 x 10(6] has been synthesised under strictly controlled conditions resulting in a new microporous material with excellent mechanical properties. Bone-plates and screws machined from PLLA were used for fixation of two artificial mandibular fractures in sheep effected by a specially designed bone clamp. Fracture healing was uneventful without visible callus formation. Plates and screws of PLLA gave good stability over a sufficiently long period to enable normal fracture healing. Application in humans seems to be justified.
