Can My Custom Medpor Jaw Angle Implants Be Removed Completely?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had custom MEDPOR jaw implants four years ago  and I would like to have them removed. I plan to have a revision orthognatic surgery to correct facial imbalance but the surgeon won’t do the surgery unless the MEDPOR implant is removed first. And you know most surgeons don’t like to remove medpor implants. 

I would like to know if would be feasible to remove those implants. Also, I would like to know if they can be totally removed (I read about some patients not having the entire implant removed by their surgeon). I have attached pics of the implants. 

Thank you for your attention.

A: Thank you for your inquiry and sending your jaw angle implant design pictures. Whether they are actually placed as they look in the design file is not known and there is no way to find out since the Medpor material can not be seen on a 3D CT scan. Regardless they can be removed and it has not been my experience, which is extensive with their removals, that they can not be removed in their entirety in a single surgery. This does not mean it is easy or non-traumatic to the soft tissues but it can be done.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana