Reconstruction of extended orbital floor fracture using an implantation method of gamma-shaped porous polyethylene

Background: The conventional surgical method for reconstructing orbital floor fractures involves restoration of orbital continuity by covering an onlay with a thin material under the periorbital region. However, in large orbital floor fractures, the implant after inserting is often dislocated, leading to malposition. This study aimed to propose a novel implanting method and compare it with existing methods. Methods: Among patients who underwent surgery for large orbital floor fractures, 24 who underwent the conventional onlay implanting method were compared with 21 who underwent the novel ${\gamma}$ implanting method that two implant sheets were stacked and bent to resemble the shape of the Greek alphabet ${\gamma}$. When inserting a ${\gamma}$-shaped implant, the posterior ledge of the orbital floor was placed between the two sheets and the bottom sheet was impacted onto the posterior wall of the maxilla to play a fixative role while the top sheet was placed above the residual orbital floor to support orbital contents. Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for data analyses. Results: Compared to the conventional onlay method, the gamma method resulted in better restoration of orbital contents, better improvement of enophthalmos, and fewer revision surgeries. Conclusion: Achieving good surgical outcomes for extended orbital floor fractures is known to be difficult. However, better surgical outcomes could be obtained by using the novel implantation method of impacting a ${\gamma}$-shaped porous polyethylene posteriorly.