I wonder how and when they choose to remove plates, vs. leaving them in. They left mine in, and when I originally asked them, they mentioned that there was significantly more risk in removing it than leaving it in.
20 years on, and it's still hanging in there.
I asked to have them removed because my physical therapist believed they were impinging on a nerve, preventing me from regaining mobility in my toes. They didn’t want to but I kept insisting.
Unless we have a clear indication, plates are not meant to be removed. For example, plating children we usually remove the plate as to not interfere with growth, or in some cases a fibula plate can irritate the tendons and should be removed, or in cases of infection.