Use of bone wax as a template for intraoperative evaluation of facial defects and shaping of polyethylene implants.

Abstract

With the advent of polymer chemistry, an increasing number of alloplastic materials are now available for use as onlay implants for reconstruction of facial bony and soft-tissue deformities. An optimal clinical result of a facial contour deformity surgery will depend not only on the choice of implant, but also on the method of giving exact shape to the implant to be used. The latter is particularly important to fit the implant into the complex configuration of a specific defect of bone and soft tissue. A template greatly enhances the accuracy of implant design. In this paper we describe a new method of fabricating polyethylene implants by using bone wax as an intraoperative template. We used this technique in four patients aged 8 to 35 years (average, 18 years) with posttraumatic and congenital facial defects without any complications. We present this method as a simple, inexpensive, and accurate alternative to the more sophisticated, but expensive and time-consuming, computer-assisted implant generation.