Treatment of fractures of the mandible and maxilla by mini titanium plate fixation systems in dogs and catsa

Abstract

Mini titanium plates were used to repair certain fractures of the maxilla and mandible in dogs and cats, under general anaesthesia. The location of the fractures treated were: corpus mandible, one dog; corpus mandible and symphysis, two dogs; caudal mandible, two dogs; rostral mandible, one dog; maxilla, one dog; nasal bone, one dog; corpus mandible and symphysis, one cat; caudal mandible, one cat; and maxilla, one cat. The healing periods varied from 6 to 9 weeks. In seven cases, implants were removed after a period of 3.5 to 18 months. In four cases the implants were left in place. The follow up period was between 8 and 36 months. In ten cases the procedure was successful, however in one case the outcome was not satisfactory due to a broken plate. There were no instances of dental malocclusion, nonunion, malunion, osteomyelitis or soft tissue infection. Eating, playing with toys, a fast transition to solid food and a quick return to normal jaw movements were observed. In our hands, the mini titanium plate fixation system was a safe and effective method for repairing certain maxillary and mandibular fractures in dogs and cats.

Biomechanical evaluation of two plating configurations for fixation of a simple transverse caudal mandibular fracture model in cats

“…28 The median peak loads withstood by the locking (38 N) and nonlocking (24 N) constructs of the present study were significantly less than the maximum bite force recorded for cats; however, in vitro testing of the constructs required stripping of all supporting soft tissues and removal of stabilization provided by the contralateral mandible through the mandibular symphysis. The findings of the present study were consistent with those of 2 case-series reports 11,12 in which use of miniplates for internal fixation of mandibular fractures in cats resulted in successful return to function for all cases.…”

“…The miniplate is advantageously positioned to resist tensile forces induced by mastication while allowing compressive load transfer through the mandibular bone fragments. 9,10 Results of studies [11][12][13] of mandibular fracture fixation with miniplates in dogs, cats, and rabbits indicate that return to function is faster than with maxillomandibular fixation and excellent dental occlusion is achieved by direct opposition of bone fragments. In dogs, a single titanium locking reconstruction plate can be used to stabilize a critical-size defect with minimal damage to dental structures and the mandibular canal.…”

Miniplacas de titânio na redução de fraturas mandibulares em cães e gatos: estudo de seis casos

“…A facilidade de manipulação e moldagem das miniplacas e dos parafusos no osso foi observada em todos os casos, a qual facilitou a ostossíntese mandibular em razão da pequena dimensão destas, sendo possível moldá-la manualmente ao contorno do osso, diferentemente das placas convencionais, que normalmente necessitam de retorcedores mais robustos e específicos (JOHNSON, 2008). BILGILI & KURUM (2003) ressaltaram que o pequeno tamanho das miniplacas e parafusos permite fácil manipulação do material e minimiza os danos aos tecidos moles adjacentes, promovendo, assim, adequada estabilidade e, por consequência, consolidação precoce das fraturas, como observado nos casos 1, 3, 4 e 5. A causa da não consolidação óssea nos dois casos deste estudo está ligada à quebra da placa no caso 2 e à deiscência dos pontos, com consequente contaminação do enxerto no caso 6, e não propriamente pela aplicação das miniplacas.…”

“…A quebra do parafuso pode estar relacionada à colocação do parafuso acidentalmente inclinado e não coincidir com o furo da cortical, acarretando na sobrecarga do colo e fratura na transição. Essa complicação também foi observada por outros autores (BOUDRIEAU & KUDISCH, 1996;BILGILI & KURUM, 2003). Entretanto, essa complicação não ocorreu com o sistema 2,0mm neste trabalho, justamente pelo maior tamanho e pela consequentemente maior rigidez em comparação com o sistema 1,5mm.…”

“…Porém, na medicina veterinária, poucos relatos descrevem a sua aplicação em cães e gatos (BOUDRIEAU & KUDISCH, 1996;BILGILI & KURUM, 2003;BOUDRIEAU, 2004). Assim, este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o uso das mini e microplacas de titânio do sistema 2,0 e 1,5mm no tratamento de fraturas mandibulares em cães e gatos.…”