Facial trauma

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Facial trauma

Alternative Names:

Maxillofacial injury; Midface trauma; Facial injury; LeFort injuries

Symptoms:

Findings with trauma in this region include:

Difficulty breathing through the nose due to swelling and bleeding in the nasal region.
Changes in sensation and feeling over the face
Swelling around the eyes may cause limitations in vision.
Double vision
Missing teeth

Signs and tests:

On physical exam:

Lacerations (breaks in the skin) are often seen.
Bruising around the eyes and/or widening of the distance between the eyes may indicate injury to the bones between the eye sockets.
When the upper jaw moves with the head stabilized, there may be a fracture in this area.
Abnormal sensations on the cheek and irregularities that can be felt on the facial region can indicate fractures.
The physical exam is often complemented by a CT scan of the head.

Review Date: 7/8/2004
Reviewed By: Kevin Fung, MD, FRCS(C), Department of Otolaryngology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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