Wire Osteosynthesis in the Treatment of Mandible Fractures in Low Resource Settings: A Force Study

Abstract

Study Design Cadaveric investigation. Objective Rigid internal fixation (RIF) using plates and screws is often not feasible in low and middle-income countries due to limited resources. Interosseous wiring to achieve semi-rigid fixation is often used, but lacks biomechanical force data. Herein we aim to quantitatively compare interosseous wiring to RIF. Methods Cadaveric mandibles were fractured at the parasymphysis and angle. Fixation was achieved using interosseous wiring in both single wire loop and figure-of-eight formations, as well as plate and screw fixation (n = 5 for each fixation type at each fracture site). A force gauge was used to measure the number of Newtons (N) required to achieve diastasis and complete failure at the fixation site. Results For angle fractures, the mean force required for initial diastasis was 4.1, 5.9, and 10.9 N for single wire, figure-of-eight wiring, and plating respectively ( P < .001). Complete failure was achieved with 152.9, 168.9, and 237.6 N of force for the three methods, respectively ( P < .001). Complete failure was achieved for parasymphyseal fractures with 197.7, 263.0, and 262.8 N of force for single wire, figure-of-eight wiring, and plating respectively ( P = .002). Forces to achieve initial diastasis for parasymphyseal fractures were not statistically significant among the three fixation methods ( P = .29). Conclusions Figure-of-eight interosseous wiring resists comparable forces across mandibular fractures compared to the gold standard of plating. In resource-limited settings when plates and screws are not available, this technique can be considered to achieve semi-rigid fixation of mandibular fractures.