Experience with a rigid fixation device in maxillofacial surgery using shape-memory clips

BACKGROUND: A device of alloy with shape-memorising effect (SME) was utilized in the surgical correction of maxillo-facial fractures. Nitinol, an alloy of equal atomic parts nickel and titanium, is a metal with the unusual property of shape memory. This alloy may be easily bent when cooled in its lower temperature phase and it resumes its original shape when heated in its higher temperature phase. A lot of useful properties of nitinol alloy, such the ability to convert heat energy into mechanical energy, as the biocompatibility and bioinertness, as the anti corrosive stability and high mechanical strength, suggest that it can be useful in the surgical fixation of maxillofacial bone injuries. METHODS: The fixing device of alloy with SME, the indications and the techniques of osteosynthesis and some cases have been discussed by the authors. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed that the surgical treatment of maxillo-facial bone fractures by devices of shape memory alloys is simple, ensures a good stability of fracture surfaces, reduces the time period of operative procedures and of patients rehabilitation, allowing rapid bone healing.