This series comprises 575 patients with facial bone injuries sustained in various accidents and treated at Han Yang University Hospital between May 1, 1972, and December 31, 1980,
Although the etiology of facial injuries varies from one geographical area to another according to the development and type of the prevalent transportation system, car accidents probably cause more facial injuries than any other modality in most modern countries.
Frequently, the patient with a face injury has concomitant injuries of several organ systems. The timely diagnosis and initial treatment of these associated injuries, combined with the need for careful sequential planning, may require a highly sophisticated consideration of the total medical situation in the patient.
The following results were obtained.
1. The greatest number of patients was sustained facial bone injuries between 4 :00 p.m. and midnight. Monthly incidence showed in October at the most and at the least in January. An increase of facial bone injuries of 20.4 % per year was shown in these patients.
2. The mean age of patients was 27.9 years, and the age range was 1 to 83 years. Facial bone injuries were most frequent in the second decade of life. Males were predominated more than female, 4.1: L
3. The most common cause of facial bone injuries was car accident followed by violence, fall, industrial accident, and sport.
4. A total of 749 classified facial fractures were diagnosed in the 575 patients, 153 patients had multiple facial fractures that included two or more of the categories. In our patients, the most common fractures were found in the nose followed by mandible, zygoma, maxilla, and orbital rim.
5. Associated soft tissue injuries (89.2 %) were as following order of frequency. 1) Facial soft tissue injuries; 65.5
2) Soft tissue injuries of extremities; 12.2% cited fractures (21 %) were found as following order of frequency. 1) Skull fractures; 5.0
2) Fracture of lower extremities; 4.9
3) Fracture of upper extremities; 3.7
4) Rib fractures; 2.7
7. Associated life threatening injuries (32.8%) were as follow in order of frequency. 1) Cerebral concussion & contusion; 26.4 Ilo
2) Air way obstruction; 2.0
3) Hemo-pneumothorax ; 1.6
4) Intracranial hemorrhage ; 1.6
8. Closed reduction was used for 34.6 %of the patients, while 40 % of patients were required open reduction and 2.3 % were needed both closed and open reduction. 9. Complications are´gs follows.
1) Local infection; 2.4
2) Ophthalmic problem; 1.6
3) Post-traumatic psychoses; 1.6
4) Facial deformity; 1.0%
5) Death; 2.1
Eight out of 12 cases died from intracranial hemorrhage and three cases secondary to abdominal viscus rupture, and one case died from hemo-pneumothorax.
|