Hardware removal rates for mandibular angle fractures:  comparing the 8-hole strut and champy plates.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the removal rates of 8-hole angle strut plate and Champy line plate in repairing mandibular angle fractures.


METHODS
Retrospective chart review at a tertiary care academic center of adults who were at least 18 years old with at least 1 mandibular angle fracture of a traumatic origin who underwent open reduction and internal fixation by using single monocortical miniplate fixation in Champy line or by using 8-hole angle strut plate via transbuccal approach. The outcome measures were hardware removal rates and the reason for removal of the hardware.


RESULTS
One hundred four patients with a total of 106 angle fractures met the inclusion criteria for this study. Seventy-three angle fractures were treated with the 8-hole strut, and 33 angle fractures were treated with the Champy line plates. There were 6 plates removed in both groups. This resulted in 8.2% of plates removed in the 8-hole strut plate group and 18.2% in the Champy line group (P = 0.133). Loose hardware was determined to be the cause of plate removal in 2 (2.7%) of the 8-hole strut plate group compared with all 6 (18.2%) of the Champy group (P = 0.005).


CONCLUSIONS
Overall, removal rates between Champy line and 8-hole strut plates are not different in treating mandibular angle fractures, although the 8-hole strut plate has a lower rate of loose hardware-related plate removal compared with the Champy line plate.
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA.
Evan
E
Moore
Sinehan
S
Bayrak
Marcus
M
Moody
J Michael
JM
Key
Emre
E
Vural
D000328:Adult; D001860:Bone Plates; D020878:Device Removal; D005260:Female; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008337:Mandibular Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome