ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Extensive fractures in the fixed facial skeleton combined with traumatic brain injury can cause functional and esthetic impairments, possibly threatening the patient's life. Male patient, 50-year-old, victim of physical aggression, presented with persistent headache and dizziness, fractures in the naso-orbito-ethmoidal, zygomatic-maxillary and right pterygoid process regions, among other minor patterns of facial fracture, with mobility to maxillary traction of the third midface unilaterally. Clinical-imaging findings revealed a Hemi Le Fort III fracture and subdural and subarachnoid pneumocephalus with a mild Mount Fuji Sign. The proposed treatment was facial osteosynthesis and conservative intravenous drug treatment of the pneumocephalus. The patient had a good recovery, with no postoperative motor or functional deficits. The correct management of the patient with facial trauma associated with craniotrauma offers benefits, restoring stability of facial architecture and preventing or correcting neurosurgical complications.
RESUMEN: Las fracturas extensas en el esqueleto facial combinadas con una lesión cerebral traumática pueden causar deficiencias funcionales y estéticas, que posiblemente pongan en peligro la vida del paciente. Paciente de sexo masculino, 50 años, víctima de agresión física, que presentó cefalea persistente y mareos, fracturas en las regiones naso-orbito-etmoidal, cigomático-maxilar y pterigoides derecha, entre otros patrones menores de fractura facial, con movilidad a tracción maxilar del tercio medio facial unilateralmente. Los hallazgos de las imágenes clínicas revelaron una hemifractura de Le Fort III y neumocefalia subdural y subaracnoidea con un leve signo del Monte Fuji. El tratamiento propuesto fue la osteosíntesis facial y el tratamiento farmacológico intravenoso conservador de la neumocefalia. El paciente tuvo una buena recuperación, sin déficit motor ni funcionales postoperatorios. El manejo adecuado del paciente con trauma facial asociado a craneotrauma ofrece beneficios, devolviendo la estabilidad de la arquitectura facial y previniendo o complicaciones neuroquirúrgicas.
ABSTRACT
Background: Angina bullosa haemorrhagica (ABH) is characterized by the recurrent appearance of blood blisters on the oral mucosa, mainly in adults' soft palate. In general, the blisters rupture spontaneously, lacking the necessity for biopsy. We report the clinical features of 23 ABH cases, emphasizing the clinical behavior and the management of these conditions. Material and Methods: A retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study was performed. A total of 12,727 clinical records of oral and maxillofacial lesions from four dental services in Brazil were analyzed. Clinical data were collected from the clinical records and evaluated. Results: The series comprised 12 males (52.2%) and 11 females (47.8%), with a mean age of 56.8 ± 14.6 years (ranging: 24-82 years) and a 1.1:1 male-to-female ratio. Most of the lesions affected the soft palate (n = 15, 65.2%). Clinically, the lesions presented mainly as an asymptomatic (n = 17, 73.9%) blood-filled blister that ruptured after a few minutes or hours, leaving an erosion. The masticatory trauma was the most frequent triggering event. No patient had coagulation disorders. A biopsy was performed in only four cases (17.4%). Treatment was symptomatic with a favorable outcome. Conclusions: ABH is still poorly documented in the literature, and its etiology remains uncertain. ABH mainly affects the soft palate of elderly adults and has a favorable evolution in a few days. The therapeutic approach is often focused only on the relief of symptoms. However, it can share some clinical features with more serious diseases. Therefore, clinicians must recognize these lesions to avoid misdiagnosis.(AU)
