Long-term infectious complications of using porous polyethylene mesh for orbital fracture reconstruction

Porous polyethylene is a widely used implants in orbital reconstruction, on which comprehensive clinical analysis, various treatments, and different prognosis according to specific classification principles on long-term complications have not been reported. To investigate the new clinical symptoms, intraoperative findings, treatments, and outcomes of complications long period after previous surgery, resulting from the use of porous polyethylene mesh for orbital fracture reconstruction. A retrospective study was conducted on 21 patients at the Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital with orbital complications after orbital fracture reconstruction with porous polyethylene mesh for 4 ± 2.2 years from 2011 to 2013. These data included new clinical symptoms after previous surgery, computerized tomography data, intraoperative findings, treatments, and outcomes. Data from 21 patients were analyzed in this study. Two patients received conservative treatment, while the other 19 patients underwent surgical approaches. Classification principles for orbital complications after orbital wall defect reconstruction with porous polyethylene mesh were formulated according to patients’ new clinical symptoms, computed tomography (CT), and intraoperative findings after previous surgery. In the last follow-up, 19 patients (90.5%) were cured or improved according to our assessment principle. The follow-up ranged from 3 to 45 months (35 months in average). According to specific classification for orbital complications resulting from the use of porous polyethylene mesh for orbital fracture reconstruction, various medical treatments should be carried out, and the prognosis may be different.