PURPOSEMaxillofacial injuries are frequently associated with multiple trauma and can determine functional and aesthetic bad outcomes. The severity of maxillofacial injuries may be considerable and can divert clinicians' attention from other concomitant injuries which is less evident but potentially life-threatening. The aim of this study was to find out the concomitant injuries in patients referred to the Emergency Department (ED) of the University Hospital of Messina (North-East Sicily, Italy) for maxillofacial traumas.

METHODSWe retrospectively evaluated data of 240,833 patients admitted at the ED of the University Hospital of Messina from January 2008 to December 2015 because of maxillofacial injuries leading to hospitalization and surgical treatment. Patients who primarily received treatment care at different institutions, pediatric trauma patients and adult patients who were transferred in accordance with pre-existing agreements in case of paucity of beds were excluded. Finally we included 447 (0.2%) patients over the 8 years. Data were evaluated with emphasis on epidemiology (age, gender, mechanism of trauma), primary survey and abnormalities and pattern of trauma.

RESULTSThe most frequent cause of maxillofacial trauma was road accidents (319 patients, 71.4%), among which motorcycle ones were prevalent. The maxillofacial injured who presented major lesions were 98 patients and minor lesions occurred in 349 patients; 443 (99.1%) patients underwent maxillofacial surgery, immediate or delayed depending on the severity of concomitant injuries (χ = 557.2, p < 0.0001). Five concomitant neglected lesions were found to be associated with severe maxillofacial traumas (χ = 17.13, p < 0.0001 vs minor lesions). All of the neglected lesions occurred in paucisymptomatic patients who showed painless abdomen, no hemodynamic instability, no signs of hematoma of anterior and posterior abdominal wall or other suspicious clinical signs and symptoms.

CONCLUSIONAmong the patients admitted firstly in other surgical wards different from the Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, diagnosis was more difficult, especially for blunt abdominal traumas, in which patients showed only vague and nonspecific symptoms concealing serious and life-threatening injuries. We recommend the routine use of whole body CT scan, when the maxillofacial injuries appear prevalent, mainly in patients affected by maxillofacial major lesions.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Maxillofacial Injuries ; etiology ; surgery ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Trauma ; etiology ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies

A variety of techniques and materials for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of traumatized maxillary ridges prior to dental implants placement have been described in literature. Autogenous bone grafting is considered ideal by many researchers and it still remains the most predictable and documented method. The aim of this report is to underline the effectiveness of using allogeneic bone graft for managing maxillofacial trauma. A case of a 30-year-old male with severely atrophic maxillary ridge as a consequence of complex craniofacial injury is presented here. Augmentation procedure in two stages was performed using allogeneic and autogenous bone grafts in different areas of the osseous defect. Four months after grafting, during the implants placement surgery, samples of both sectors were withdrawn and submitted to histological evaluation. On the examination of the specimens, treated by hematoxylin and eosin staining, the morphology of integrated allogeneic bone grafts was revealed to be similar to the autologous bone. Our clinical experience shows how the allogeneic bone graft presented normal bone tissue architecture and is highly vascularized, and it can be used for reconstruction of severe trauma of the maxilla.
Adult ; Bone Transplantation ; methods ; Facial Injuries ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Maxilla ; injuries ; pathology ; surgery ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Transplantation, Autologous ; Transplantation, Homologous