ORBITAL FLOOR RECONSTRUCTION WITH AUTOGENOUS MANDIBULAR SYMPHYSEAL BONE-GRAFTS

Purpose: This article shows the usefulness of the mandibular symphysis as a source of bone graft for the reconstruction of the orbital floor , Patients and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 16 pati ents who had isolated blowout fractures (n = 10) or orbital floor defe cts (n = 6) reconstructed with mandibular symphyseal bone grafts, Symp hyseal bone grafts were used when the defects were less than 2 cm in d iameter, Patients were examined at recall visits for any evidence of u nsuccessful reconstruction by checking extraocular movements, and evid ence of diplopia or enophthalmous, Results: During a mean follow-up of 12 months (range, 9 to 36 months), patients had no postoperative comp laints. There were no instances of infection at the surgical sites, an d none of the grafts were extruded or lost, There was good restoration of the orbital floor, with no clinical evidence of enophthalmous or d iplopia, Extraocular movements were intact in all patients. Conclusion : The mandibular symphysis is a readily available source of autogenous bone that can be harvested with minimal morbidity. Its contour is sui table for use in orbital floor reconstruction, It merits consideration when autogenous bone grafts are considered for orbital floor defects less than 2 cm in diameter.