Narrowing Genioplasty with Bicortical Fixation of Resorbable Screws
Many Asians have broad and square chins, which is viewed to be unbeautiful. Therefore, people want to have slender and oval-shaped chins. For this, narrowing genioplasty together with or without mandibular angle reduction is done widely for aesthetic improvement of the lower face. Until recently, metal fixtures such as interosseous wiring or titanium plates and screws were used to fix the resected genial segments during narrowing genioplasty. However, there is an increasing number of people who want to undergo further surgery for the removal of metal fixtures following the union of the bone, or who want to have resorbable materials for fixation to hide the facts that they have undergone cosmetic surgery due to psychological and cultural reasons.
Methods/Technique:
Of the patients undergoing narrowing genioplasty between April 2012 and December 2012, 32 patients who wanted to use resorbable fixtures underwent narrowing genioplasty with resorbable screws only. Two screws (Inion CPS ®System, 2.5 x 18mm, INION, Finland) were used to fix each genial segment for a total of 4 resorbable screws, and bicortical fixation was done between the anterior cortex of the genial segment to the posterior or anterior cortex of the mandible.
Results/Complications:
All patients achieved rigid fixation and no patients had unstability. The mean follow-up period was 11 months, and no patients developed foreign body reaction, infection, device exposure or palpability during this time.
Conclusion:
There is an increasing demand for the use of resorbable materials for fixation in narrowing genioplasty. However, resorbable plates and screws were are not widely being used for aesthetic facial contouring sugery because it is inconvenient to manipulate during the procedure, it can be palpable, and it also has functional and cost limitations. The use of resorbable screws has advantages such as easy manipulation, short operation time and cost-effectivenesss when compared to using both resorbable plates and screws. Also, it is useful not only for the narrowing procedure but also for advancement or setback during reposition of genial segments.