Past and present trends in intraorbital biointegrated macroporous material implants

The concept of intra-orbital implant goes back to 1841 and its history is directly linked to that of the surgical reconstruction of the anophthalmic orbit. After having used a multitude of materials, the majority of surgeons today commonly use bioceramics such as coralline hydroxyapatite or synthetic hydroxyapatite. Porous alumina, a recently developed bioceramic widely used in orthopedic surgery, has been used as a human intra-orbital implant. The preliminary results concerning the aesthetic aspect, implant mobility, local tolerance and fibrovascular colonization are promising and comparable to those obtained with current hydroxyapatite implants.