| Title | Transmasseter approach to condylar fractures by mini-retromandibular access. | | Author(s) | Biglioli F, Colletti G | | Institution | Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, San Paolo Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy. | | Source | J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2009 Nov; 67(11):2418-24. | | MeSH | Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Female
Fracture Fixation, Internal
Humans
Male
Mandibular Condyle
Mandibular Fractures
Masseter Muscle
Middle Aged
Oral Surgical Procedures
Orthopedic Procedures
Surgical Procedures, Minimally Invasive
Treatment Outcome
Young Adult
| | Abstract | PURPOSE: The published data are full of evidence that surgical treatment of condylar fractures, performed through an intraoral or extraoral approach, leads to better results than nonoperative treatment. Intraoral surgery can be technically demanding, and an extraoral approach presents risks of facial nerve injuries and visible scarring. The mini-retromandibular approach we have described allows the treatment of condylar fractures at any level in a simplified and rapid manner while reducing the risk of complications common to the other techniques.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 33 patients with 38 condylar fractures were treated with a 20-mm mini-retromandibular approach. The mean operative time was 33 minutes (range 17 to 56). One patient in the present study was only 14 years old at surgery, which was performed 25 days after the associated trauma.
RESULTS: Correct anatomic reduction and occlusion were achieved in all cases. Additionally, all patients showed normal articular function. Infection of the surgical site occurred in the first 2 surgical cases. In another patient, an additional operation was necessary to fix an erroneously reduced fracture, which had occurred because of insufficient surgical access (15 mm). No facial nerve injury was observed, and all surgical scars were barely visible.
CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the mini-retromandibular approach outlined in the present study should be the technique of choice for condylar fracture management, because it allows for easy, fast reduction and synthesis while minimizing the risk of facial nerve injury and visible scars. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
| | PubMed ID | 19837311 |
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