Correlation between clinical findings and CT-measured displacement in patients with fractures of the zygomaticomaxillary complex

BackgroundThis prospective clinical study aimed to analyse the influence of displacement on duration and severity of symptoms of fractures of the zygomaticomaxillary complex.Methods47 patients, who received surgical treatment of zygomaticomaxillary complex fractures at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Jena were examined preoperatively, 1, 3 and 10 days as well as 6 months post-operation for ophthalmologic, occlusal and neurosensory changes.ResultsPreoperatively, periorbital haematoma and ooedema were present in 76.6% and 31.9% of the patients, which increased until day 1 post-op and decreased until the end of hospital stay. Preoperative diplopia was present in 83.0% of the patients and resolved postoperatively in all but 3 cases, in whom it persisted until end of the study. Occlusal disturbances and limited mouth opening were present in 21.3% of the patients and resolved by end of the study in all but 2 cases. Neither ophthalmologic nor occlusal changes correlated with the degree of displacement. Postoperatively no significant differences were detectable among the groups. In 44.8% of the patients neurosensory disturbances persisted until end of the follow-up. In the non-displaced fracture group none of the patients suffered from neurosensory disturbances at the 6-month follow-up.ConclusionAlthough the degree of displacement has a significant impact on the incidence of sensory disturbances preoperatively, postoperatively no differences were observed between displaced and non-displaced fractures.