Biodegradable implants for orbital wall fracture reconstruction

Abstract

Background: Due to the different handling properties of unsintered hydroxyapatite particles/po-ly-L-lactic acid (uHA/PLLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL), we compared the surgical outcomes and the postoperative implantation accuracy between uHA/PLLA and PCL meshes in orbital fracture repair. Methods: Patients undergoing orbital wall reconstruction with PCL and uHA/PLLA mesh, between 2017 and 2019, were investigated retrospectively. The anatomical accuracy of the implant in bony defect replacement and the functional outcomes such as diplopia, ocular motility, and en-ophthalmos were evaluated. Results: No restriction of eye movement was reported in any patient (n = 30 for each group), 6 months postoperatively. In the PCL group, no patient showed diplopia or enophthalmos, while the uHA/PLLA group showed two patients with diplopia and one with enophthalmos. Excellent anatomical accuracy of implants was observed in 27 and 22 patients of the PCL and uHA/PLLA groups, respectively. However, this study showed that there were neither any significant differ-ences in the surgical outcomes like diplopia and enophthalmos nor any complications with the two well-known implants. Conclusion: PCL implants and uHA/PLLA implants are safe and have similar levels of complications and surgical outcomes in orbital wall reconstruction.