Do You Have Any Suggestions For How To Hold Two Implants Together For My Jaw Reconstruction?

Q: Dear Dr. Eppley, I am about to undergo a third surgery for my short mandible. My first surgery consisted of bone grafts to the jaw angles with  a sliding genioplasty for my chin. I then had a second surgery in which silastic jaw angle implants were placed as the bone grafts had resorbed.  For my upcoming third surgery, a medpor chin implant is going to be used which will extend back to the jaw angle. My doctor is concerned, however, about placing the medpor implants over the indwelling silastic implants (to improve the angle still) because of issues with bonding medpor to silastic. I assume it will take some method to secure the two implants together. He is concerned with slippage of the two implants placed on top of each other. Do you have any suggestions as to how to fix these two implants together? Your comments will be very appreciated. Thanks.

A: Commenting on another surgeon’s operative plan or method of surgery is not really appropriate from my perspective. I am certain that your surgeon would not really appreciate it and, if he needed help in the planning, he would have his own reference sources to ask. In addition, the details of exactly what has been previously done and the specifics of this next proposed surgery are lacking in your brief description of the issues. I wish you the best in this upcoming surgery and hope that your desired final aesthetic goals from your jaw reconstruction will be successfully met.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis Indiana