Polylactic Acid Screws and the Juvara Osteotomy
Bionix® manufactures the polylactic acid absorbable screws under the brand name Smart Screw®. There are currently four thread diameters available in the PLA screws: 2.0, 2.7, 3.5, and 4.5 mm.
All of the screws are fully threaded and they have the same general specifications as ASIF metallic screws.
The advantages of the PLA screws are that they are able to achieve a rigid and stable fixation; MRI and CT are possible because there is no scatter as there is with metallic screws, the cost is equivalent to metallic screws, and because they are absorbed, the need for a second operation to remove the hardware is eliminated. Furthermore, since their elastic modulus is similar to bone, the stress shielding that occurs with rigid metallic screws is avoided, and there are none of the problems that are common to the corrosion of metallic hardware. The indications for the PLA screws are the same as those for their metallic counterpart.
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