Effects of skeletal fixation on craniofacial imaging.

The imaging effects of high-density scatter from different metal compositions of plate and screw fixation systems were assessed in cadaveric craniomaxillofacial skeletons with computed tomographic scanning. Differences in image clarity of three-dimensional reconstructions were observed between titanium, stainless steel, and cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy onlay fixation systems, which were not significantly altered with or without an overlying soft-tissue density (facial drape). These differences were reduced in a plaster model, in which the plates were in an intrabony location.