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

Treatment:

When the patient is unable to perform any normal function, or a substantial cosmetic deformity occurs, the treatment is usually surgical. Goals include:

Establish a clear airway.
Control bleeding.
Treat the fracture.
Rule out other injuries.
Fix broken bone segments with titanium plates and screws.
Use existing lacerations and incisions in the mouth and around the eye and scalp during surgery to minimize scarring.
Treatment should be immediate, as long as the patient is stable and cleared of all life-threatening injuries and the neck has been cleared of fractures.

Expectations (prognosis):

Patients generally do very well with proper pre-operative workup and planning. The patient should be forewarned that they will most likely look different from their pre- injury state and that additional surgeries may be necessary 6-12 months later.

Complications:

General complications include, but are not limited to:

Bleeding
Infection
Neurologic complications
Facial asymmetry

Calling your health care provider:

Go to the emergency room or call the local emergency number (such as 911) if you have a severe injury to your face.

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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