Retrospective Study of Survival of Extraoral Endosseous Craniofacial Implants in Head and Neck Surgery Patients

Purpose: To determine the survival rate of implants placed in different craniofacial locations and factors affecting survival. Materials and Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed a consecutive series of patients treated at the Royal Melbourne Hospital who received craniofacial implants for an array of benign and malignant conditions. Implant survival per site and cumulative survival were determined. Surgical and implant variables were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier and Cox Proportional Hazards Models. Results: Fifty-two patients had 156 implants placed to reconstruct the nose, orbit, and ears. A total of 43 implants failed (overall survival: 72.4%) in the orbital (29/63, failure rate: 46%) and auricular sites (14/70, failure rate: 17%). No implants failed in the nasal site (0/9). Three-, 5-, and 10-year cumulative survival was also determined. Independent risk factors for decreased survival included postoperative radiation therapy (P = .005, RR: 3.2, 95% CI: 1.4 to 7.0), implants placed in the orbit (P = .004, RR: 5.0, 95% CI: 1.6 to 15.2), and implants that were not loaded with a prosthesis (P = .007, RR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.3 to 5.4). Conclusion: Failure rates varied according to site in this cohort of patients. A number of independent risk factors affecting implant survival in extraoral sites were identified. Keywords: craniofacial, endosseous, extraoral, implant, osseointegrated, survival