[A PhD completed. Midfacial trauma patients in Amsterdam: An epidemiological survey].

A population of patients in Amsterdam with midfacial fractures was studied. Traffic accidents were found to be the most common cause, followed by violence and falls. The zygomatic complex was the most common fracture site. The majority of surgically treated patients consisted of men between 20 and 29 years of age. In addition to fracture displacement, indicative factors for surgery appear to be age, comorbidity and the presence or absence of functional problems. 8.1% of the surgically treated patients appear to have suffered brain damage. Those affected were often young men with facial trauma due to a traffic accident. Frontal sinus fractures were most common among them, causing the barrier function of the midfacial bones protecting the brain to be questioned. Complications in these seriously traumatised patients were common and can be classified as 'early' or 'late', with a further subdivision into infection, bleeding, functional and cosmetic problems.