1990 Volume 36 Issue 11 Pages 2505-2508
The intermaxillary fixation (IMF) has been frequently applied to maxillofacial fractures. The period of the fixation is however, determined empirically because we have no barometers to judge the bone unions. Thus, a method capable of determining an appropriate time of IMF removal in each case has been sought.
The authors developed a new measurement apparatus for analyzing the transmission of vibration based on Coherence function, and bound that this apparatus could be a useful tool for the determination of the time of IMF removal. The apparatus is characterized by its abilities to judge the bone unions and to evaluate the healing process of mandibular fractures through a non-invasive and periodical measurement.
In this paper, we report that our method was quite useful in evaluating the healing process, even in the mandibular fracture case of abnormal hone healing which was bruised and infected at the fracture site during IMF.
