Facial Trauma

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Facial Trauma: Assessment - Face First Aid!

  • Initial Approach: Follow ATLS principles (ABCDE). Prioritize airway, C-spine, breathing, circulation.
  • Airway: Critical! Assess for obstruction (blood, foreign bodies, edema). Early intubation if GCS < 8, airway compromise, or expanding hematoma.
  • Hemorrhage: Control active bleeding (direct pressure, packing). Consider angiography/embolization for persistent severe bleeding.
  • Examination:
    • Systematic: Inspect (asymmetry, lacerations, ecchymosis), palpate (tenderness, crepitus, step-offs).
    • Neurological: GCS, cranial nerves (II, III, IV, V, VI, VII).
    • Ocular: Visual acuity, EOMs, diplopia, RAPD, globe integrity.
  • Imaging: CT scan (non-contrast, thin-slice axial/coronal, 3D reconstruction) is gold standard.

⭐ Most common site of CSF leak in facial trauma: Cribriform plate (anterior cranial fossa).

Mandibular Fractures - Jaw Breakers United

Most common facial #2 fracture. Often multiple.

  • Common Sites: 📌 Mnemonic: "Can Angry Birds Sing Melody?"
    • Condyle (30-35%)
    • Angle (20-25%)
    • Body (20-25%)
    • Symphysis/Parasymphysis (15-20%)
    • Ramus (<5%)
    • Coronoid process (<2%)
  • Classification:
    • Simple/Compound/Comminuted.
    • Favorable/Unfavorable (muscle pull impact).
  • Clinical Signs:
    • Pain, swelling, ecchymosis.
    • Malocclusion (💡 most reliable).
    • Trismus, step deformity.
    • Lower lip anesthesia (IAN injury).
    • Bleeding from ear (condylar #).

⭐ Muscle pull dictates displacement. Elevators (masseter, temporalis, med. pterygoid) pull superiorly/medially. Depressors (mylohyoid, geniohyoid, digastric) pull inferiorly/posteriorly. Lat. pterygoid pulls condyle anteromedially.

  • Management:
    • Airway first.
    • Closed (MMF) or Open Reduction Internal Fixation (ORIF).

Midface Fractures - Central Face Carnage

  • Le Fort Fractures: Classification of complex maxillary injuries.
    • 📌 Mnemonic: I = Palate floats; II = Maxilla floats (pyramidal); III = Face floats (craniofacial dysjunction).
    • Le Fort I (Transverse): Horizontal; palate separation, mobile palate, malocclusion.
    • Le Fort II (Pyramidal): Maxilla & nasal bones separation; mobile midface, infraorbital paresthesia, CSF rhinorrhea possible.
    • Le Fort III (Craniofacial Dysjunction): Midface-cranial base separation; gross edema, 'Dish face' deformity, CSF rhinorrhea, airway compromise. ⭐ > 'Dish face' deformity is characteristic of Le Fort III fractures. Le Fort I, II, and III Fracture Lines
  • Clinical Differentiation (Le Fort Types):
  • Zygomaticomaxillary Complex (ZMC) Fracture (Tripod/Tetrapod):
    • Involves: Frontozygomatic suture, zygomatic arch, infraorbital rim, zygomaticomaxillary buttress.
    • Signs: Cheek flattening, diplopia, trismus, subconjunctival hemorrhage, infraorbital anesthesia. 3D CT scan of complex facial trauma fracture components diagram)
  • Naso-Orbital-Ethmoid (NOE) Fracture:
    • Signs: Traumatic telecanthus (intercanthal distance > 35mm), flattened nasal dorsum, epiphora.
    • Crucial: Medial canthal tendon (MCT) integrity (Markowitz classification).

Orbito-Frontal Fractures - Eye & Brow Blows

  • Orbital Fractures: Predominantly blowout or tripod types.
    • Blowout Fracture: Most common; inferior wall (floor) > medial wall.
      • Mechanism: Direct globe trauma → ↑intraorbital pressure.
      • Signs: Diplopia (esp. upgaze), enophthalmos, infraorbital nerve anesthesia (cheek/lip numbness), restricted eye movements (muscle entrapment), periorbital ecchymosis. "Teardrop sign" on CT. Orbital fractures: rim, blowout, and floor
    • Tripod (Zygomaticomaxillary Complex - ZMC) Fracture: Involves zygomatic arch, lateral orbital wall, inferior orbital rim, and zygomaticomaxillary buttress.
      • Signs: Malar flattening, palpable step-offs, trismus, diplopia.
  • Frontal Sinus Fractures: Classified by anterior table, posterior table, or combined involvement; nasofrontal outflow tract (NFOT) status is key.
    • Anterior table: Primarily cosmetic (forehead depression).
    • Posterior table: ↑Risk of CSF leak, meningitis, intracranial injury.
    • NFOT injury: ↑Risk of mucocele/mucopyocele. Frontal sinus and nasofrontal outflow tract anatomy
    • Management: Varies by displacement, table involvement, NFOT patency, and presence of CSF leak (observation, ORIF, obliteration, cranialization).

⭐ Critical signs indicating urgent surgical intervention for orbital fractures include: persistent diplopia in primary gaze, non-resolving oculocardiac reflex (bradycardia, nausea), "white-eyed blowout" (pediatric entrapment with minimal external signs), and significant enophthalmos (>2 mm).

High‑Yield Points - ⚡ Biggest Takeaways

  • Le Fort fractures: I (floating palate), II (pyramidal), III (craniofacial dysjunction); assess maxillary mobility.
  • Nasal bone fractures: Most common; closed reduction within 5-7 days for best results.
  • Orbital blowout fractures: Cause diplopia, enophthalmos, infraorbital anesthesia; "teardrop" sign on CT.
  • Mandibular fractures: Common at condyle/angle; malocclusion is a key diagnostic sign.
  • ZMC fractures (tripod): Result in cheek flattening, trismus; assess ocular motility.
  • CSF rhinorrhea with skull base fractures: Confirm using β2-transferrin test.
  • Airway management is the top priority in severe facial trauma.
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Practice Questions: Facial Trauma

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An adult patient sustained a subcondylar fracture on the left side. Clinically it is seen that there is :

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Flashcards: Facial Trauma

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Surgeries for congenital malformations of the pinna (auricle) are usually performed around the ages of _____ years.

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Surgeries for congenital malformations of the pinna (auricle) are usually performed around the ages of _____ years.

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