Healing of surgical wounds in maxillofacial region - a Bangladesh study

ABSTRACT

This prospective study was carried out to identify certain risk factors responsible for delayed incisional healing on day 7 in the maxillofacial region, and was carried out at the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery and Department of Pathology of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University [BSMMU], Dhaka, Bangladesh from 1[st] July 2005 to 30[th] June 2007. Six risk factors for delayed maxillofacial area wound healing were studied. Out of 32 patients, cases with risk factors were in study group [mean age 43.5 years] and apparently healthy patients without risk factors were in control group [mean age 45.9 years] were examined. Postoperative clinical evaluation of wound was done on 3[rd], 5[th], 7[th], 9[th] and 11[th] day and histological examination of tissue specimen [skin, scalp and oral mucosa] was done on day 0 and day 7 based on six histological parameters of wound healing. Peroperatively taken tissue specimen from the wound margin containing healthy tissue was used as a conrol of postoperative day 7 healing tissue specimen. Statistically significant association was found between study and control subjects in terms of pattern of collagen tissue and amount of early and mature collagen tissue [p<0.05] on the 7th day of follow up. Clinical evaluation also had strong association with histological state of healing. It was concluded that patients with risk factors had significantly weaker wounds than those without risk factors