Priorities in the management of penetrating maxillofacial trauma in the pediatric patient.

Penetrating facial trauma is uncommon in children; a large series published by Cooper et al revealed that only 1% to 2% of the total population of infants and children admitted for trauma during their study period had a diagnosis of penetrating trauma to the head or neck. Little has been published specifically addressing these injuries in the pediatric population. The records of 20 patients treated for penetrating facial injuries at Kosair-Children's Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky from January 1991 through December 1994 were reviewed. The location, mechanism and extent of injury, as well as the diagnostic and management practices used in patient treatment, were collected. Categorizing the injuries relative to the involvement of one or more facial zones helped guide diagnostic studies and therapeutic intervention and predict associated injuries. This article evaluates the authors' method of management and any differences in management between pediatric and similarly injured adult patients.