Background:
Titanium implants have been commonly used in the biomedical setting as prosthetic devices, with their first usage to support a nasal prosthesis described in 1986. Despite their long-term application, failure rates of implants used to retain nasal prostheses post-rhinectomy in head and neck cancer patients have never been explored systematically.
Methods:
A comprehensive search of PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science was conducted. All retrospective reports assessing failure rates of nasal implants were assessed according to PRISMA guidelines.
Results:
The initial search identified 1493 studies, of which 19 studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising 669 implants overall. The overall probability of failure was 9.57% for all nasal implants (95%CI 0.062,0.129 P<0.001), 15.8% for shorter craniofacial implants (95% CI 0.087, 0.230 P<0.001) and 5.43% for dental implants (95% CI 0.025, 0.084 P<0.001). Implant placement in previously irradiated areas was significantly linked to earlier implant failure (RR 0.69, CI 0.14, 1.25).
Conclusion:
Shorter implants and implants placed in pre-irradiated areas have a decreased survival rate, possibly due to poorer osseointegration. Awareness of implant retention rates for different implant types and influencing factors allows for informed clinical use of these tools.
Emma Finnegan1, Abidur Rahman1, S Celli1, H Alsubaie1, Justin Hintze1, John Kinsella1, Conrad Timon1, Paul Lennon1, K Mellan1,2, Shawkat Abdulrahman1, Conall Fitzgerald1
1 Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, St. James’s University Hospital, Dublin
2 Department of Dental Surgery, St. James’s University Hospital, Dublin