Facial Fractures

Abstract

Facial trauma can involve soft tissue injuries such as burns, lacerations and bruises, or fractures of the facial bones during motor vehicle accidents, assaults, sporting injuries and falls. The facial bones are thin and light making them susceptible to injury. Epidemiology: Males are affected more commonly than females and facial fractures are most common in
the third decade. Pathology: The nasal bones are the most commonly fractured single bone, followed by the mandible
and the bony orbit. Fractures involving more than one bone most commonly affect the orbital floor and zygomaticomaxilla. Types- complex fractures which involve multiple facial bones: naso-orbitoethmoid (NOE) complex fracture,
Le Fort fractures zygomaticomaxillary complex fracture, Complex midfacial fracture. fractures which involve a single
facial bone: frontal sinus fracture, nasal bone fracture, orbital blow-out fracture, isolated zygomatic arch fractures, paranasal sinus fractures, alveolar process fractures, mandibular fracture. Emergency Treatment: Clear Airway and provide
patent airway, Control Hemorrhage, Evaluate Associated Injuries, Diagnosis and treatment of facial injuries. Radiographic features- Radiograph: Plain x-rays are relatively insensitive to facial fractures; CT: MDCT is the modality most
often used for imaging evaluation in facial fractures because of: rapid examination with easier patient positioning providing high image resolution which allows accurate detection of subtle facial fractures and also clearly delineates soft-tissue
feature. Treatment: This depends on your specific injury, how bad it is, and whether you have any other problems at the
time. Your doctor’s goal will be to put the bones back into their natural position. This is called “reducing” the fracture.
He’ll also want to keep the bones in place to prevent further injury. Doctors call this “fixing” the fracture. You may need
surgery or, your doctor may use plates, screws, wires, or other devices to repair your injury. He may also prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection. The plates used to repair facial fractures are made of titanium. They hold together and
strengthen the bones of your face, head (or skull) and/or jaws. The plates used to repair facial fractures are designed to be
left in place and stay with your bone permanently. Very occasionally, they might need to be removed later for example if
they cause an infection or discomfort