Clinical analysis of midfacial fractures.

PURPOSE: To analyze the features of midfacial fractures.

METHODS

Data of 320 patients treated for midfacial fractures during the past 10 years were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTS

Patients were 192 male and 128 female. Their age ranged from 1 to 96 years old with the average of 42.1. Injury most frequently occurred by traffic accidents in 168 patients, followed by falls in 78, assaults in 31 and sports in 25. Pattern of the fractures was classified into zygoma in 159 patients, alveolus in 60, multiple sites in 54, maxilla in 45 and nasal bone in 2. Facial injury severity scale ranged from 1 to 12 with the average of 1.52. Injuries to other sites of the body were found in 90 patients. Fractures of multiple sites showed higher facial injury severity scale and were associated with injuries to other sites of the body at a higher rate. Observation was most frequently chosen in 153 patients, followed by open reduction and internal fixation in 72, intramaxillary fixation in 43 and transcutaneous reduction in 26.

CONCLUSIONS

Midfacial fractures showed a variety of features in terms of the site and severity and associated injuries. Understanding these features is important to manage these patients properly.