Tams J, Rozema F R, Bos R R, Roodenburg J L, Nikkels P G, Vermey A
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands.
Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 1996 Feb;25(1):20-4. doi: 10.1016/s0901-5027(96)80006-3.
This study evaluated bone healing after mandibular swing osteotomies fixed with biodegradable poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) bone plates in four patients. A step osteotomy treated with two PLLA bone plates (n=3), and a straight osteotomy treated with one PLLA bone plate (n=1) were performed. Bone healing was uneventful in all patients; only in the patient with the straight osteotomy was callus observed. After 5.5 years, radiologic changes at the site of implantation were observed in the remaining patient. Histologic examination revealed a nonspecific foreign-body reaction on highly crystalline PLLA remnants which were still present. It is concluded that the PLLA bone plates provided enough strength to enable undisturbed bone healing. The long-term degradation results are comparable with those of other studies on as-polymerized PLLA implants.
