Newly Developed Resorbable Magnesium Biomaterials for Orbital Floor Reconstruction in Caprine and Ovine Animal Models-A Prototype Design and Proof-of-Principle Study

Josip Tomic; Iris Wiederstein-Grasser; Monika Schanbacher; Annelie Martina Weinberg

doi:10.3390/jfb14070339

Newly Developed Resorbable Magnesium Biomaterials for Orbital Floor Reconstruction in Caprine and Ovine Animal Models-A Prototype Design and Proof-of-Principle Study

J Funct Biomater. 2023 Jun 27;14(7):339. doi: 10.3390/jfb14070339.

Authors

Josip Tomic¹, Iris Wiederstein-Grasser², Monika Schanbacher¹, Annelie Martina Weinberg³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria.
² Core Facility Experimental Biomodels, Division of Biomedical Research, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria.
³ Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 5, 8036 Graz, Austria.

Abstract

Background: orbital floor fractures have not been reconstructed using magnesium biomaterials.

Methods: To test technical feasibility, ex vivo caprine and ovine heads (n = 5) were used. Head tissues were harvested from pubescent animals (n = 5; mean age: 3.2 years; mean mass: 26.3 kg) and stored below 11 degrees for 7-10 days. All procedures were performed in a university animal resource facility. Two experienced maxillofacial surgeons performed orbital floor procedures in both orbits of all animals in a step-by-step preplanned dissection. A transconjunctival approach was chosen to repair the orbital floor with three different implants (i.e., magnesium implants; titanium mesh; and polydioxanone or PDO sheets). The position of each implant was evaluated by Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Results: Axial, coronal, and sagittal plane images showed good positioning of the magnesium plates. The magnesium plates had a radiographic visibility similar to that of the PDO sheets but lower than that of the titanium mesh.

Conclusions: The prototype design study showed a novel indication for magnesium biomaterials. Further testing of this new biomaterial may lead to the first resorbable biomaterial with good mechanical properties for extensive orbital wall defects.

Keywords: animal model; biomaterial; orbital surgery; proof of principle; trauma.

Grants and funding

This research received funding from the independent non-profit organization International Bone Research Association, Hochbergerstrasse 60E, CH-4057 Basel, Switzerland. Funding number is 2110-0142.