title: Miniplate osteosynthesis for mandibular angle fractures--A retrospective comparative study of 3 concepts in a temporal cohort.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Purpose of this retrospective study was to compare fixation of mandibular angle fractures by three different miniplating-concepts (single miniplate, double miniplate, TriLock mandibular angle plate) regarding osteosynthesis failure and hardware removal.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective study a temporal cohort of 184 patients with 194 simple mandibular angle fractures, which had been treated by open reduction and internal fixation via miniplates at the University Clinic of Cranio-, Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery (General Hospital Vienna) in the period of 2005-2011, were included. Patients with pathologic fractures (e.g. tumour or osteonecrosis related) or comminuted fractures were not considered.
  
  
  RESULTS
  9 of 194 (4.6%) fractures showed osteosynthesis failures. The osteosynthesis failure rates were 2.9% in the single miniplate group, 3.4% in the TriLock plate group, and 11.1% in the double miniplate group. In the double miniplate group 33.3% of the patients had undergone hardware removal, 21.4% in the single miniplate group, and 11.4% in the TriLock plate group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A single 4-hole locking plate with a thickness of 1.25-1.3 mm guarantees for low osteosynthesis failure rates without postoperative maxillo-mandibular fixation and requires less hardware removal in simple mandibular angle fractures. Two miniplates, longer plates with more holes and thicker plates are prone to hardware removal.
authors.affiliation: University Clinic of Cranio-Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: martin.strasz@meduniwien.ac.at.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Strasz
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wolschner
authors.affiliation: University Clinic of Cranio-Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schopper
authors.affiliation: University Clinic of Cranio-Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Wolfgang Paul
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Pöschl
authors.affiliation: University Clinic of Cranio-Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Perisanidis
authors.affiliation: University Clinic of Cranio-Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wick
authors.affiliation: University Clinic of Cranio-Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seemann
mesh_terms: D001860:Bone Plates; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000379:methods*; D018460:Fractures, Comminuted; D006801:Humans; D008337:Mandibular Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Hardware removal; Mandibular angle fracture; Osteosynthesis