A ten year analysis of the traumatic maxillofacial and brain injury patient in Amsterdam: complications and treatment.

Maxillofacial trauma is often associated with injuries to the cranium, especially in high-energy trauma. The management of such cases can be challenging and requires close cooperation between oral and maxillofacial surgery and neurosurgical teams. There are few reports in the current literature describing the complications that develop in patients with maxillofacial trauma and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Complications can be categorized as early or late and/or minor and major. The exact definition of complications and their categorization remains a matter of current debate. We present a 10 year retrospective study of complications and their subsequent management in patients receiving maxillofacial and neurosurgical treatment for maxillofacial trauma associated with TBI. The study population consisted of 47 people, excluded from a maxillofacial trauma population of 579 patients. The severity of the trauma was scored as mild, moderate or severe, using the Glasgow Coma Scale at presentation of the Emergency Department. In total 36 patients (76.6%) developed complications. Patients involved in road traffic collision were most likely to develop complications (92.3%). This was followed by falls (66.7%) as mechanism of the injury. Patients aged 60-69 years experienced the highest complication rate (5), followed by patients aged 20-29 years (4.1) and 30-39 years (3.5). The majority of complications were infection and inflammation (36.4%), followed by neurological deficit (24.0%), physiological dysregulation (11.6%) and facial bone deformity (8.3%). Patients who developed no complications, most often presented with mild TBI (72.7%). The most common treatment modality employed to manage complications was pharmacological, followed by antibiotic treatment, conservative treatment and decompression therapy. The mean hospital stay after the trauma for the patients with complications was 28 days. Thirteen patients (36.1%) were transferred to a rehabilitation centre, a nursing home, or a home for the elderly. Nine patients (25%) completely recovered from their complications and 4 patients (11.1%) died after the trauma. This report provides useful data concerning the rate and type of complications that occur, and the multidisciplinary treatment that is required in traumatic maxillofacial and brain injury patients.

A ten-year analysis of the traumatic maxillofacial and brain injury patient in Amsterdam: incidence and aetiology.

In the literature it is questioned if the presence of maxillofacial trauma is associated with the presence of brain injury. The aim of this study is to present a 10-year retrospective study of the incidence and aetiology of maxillofacial trauma associated with brain injury that required both oral and maxillofacial and neurosurgical intervention during the same hospital stay. Forty-seven patients from a population of 579 trauma patients undergoing maxillofacial surgery were identified. The main cause of injury was road traffic collision, followed by falls. Interpersonal violence correlated less well with traumatic brain injury. Most of the patients were males, aged 20-39 years. Frontal sinus fractures were the most common maxillofacial fractures (21.9%) associated with neurosurgical input, followed by mandibular fractures and zygomatic complex fractures. In the general maxillofacial trauma population, frontal sinus fractures were only found in 2.2% of the cases. At presentation to the Emergency Department the majority of the patients were diagnosed with severe traumatic brain injury and a Marshall CT class 2. Intracranial pressure monitoring was the most common neurosurgical intervention, followed by reconstruction of a bone defect and haematoma evacuation. Although it is a small population, our data suggest that maxillofacial trauma does have an association with traumatic brain injury that requires neurosurgical intervention (8.1%). In comparison with the overall maxillofacial trauma population, our results demonstrate that frontal sinus fractures are more commonly diagnosed in association with brain injury, most likely owing to the location of the impact of the trauma. In these cases the frontal sinus seems not specifically to act as a barrier to protect the brain. This report provides useful data concerning the joint management of oral and maxillofacial surgeons and neurosurgeons for the treatment of cranio-maxillofacial trauma and brain injury patients in Amsterdam.

The clinical and radiographical characteristics of zygomatic complex fractures: a comparison between the surgically and non-surgically treated patients.

BACKGROUND: In this retrospective study we evaluated the epidemiological data and the clinical and radiographical differences between surgically and non-surgically treated patients with zygomatic complex fractures at their initial assessment in our clinic over a period of 5 years. More knowledge of the clinical similarities and/or differences between the non-surgical and the surgical group will provide us a more complete view and may help physicians to develop any future methods in clinical decision making or even methods in distinguishing patients benefiting from a surgical treatment. METHODS: Surgically and non-surgically treated patients were included in the study, if clinical and radiographical confirmation of zygomatic complex fractures were present at initial assessment. The patient groups were divided into surgically treated zygomatic complex fractures, and non-surgically treated fractures, with and without displacement. The groups were compared according to age, gender, degree of fracture displacement and clinical signs. RESULTS: In total 283 patients were diagnosed with zygomatic complex fractures, with a mean age of 43 years (±20 years) and a domination of male patients. The mean age was higher in the non-surgically treated group and contained more female patients. Overall type C fractures and the majority of the type B fractures were treated surgically. Only 2.1% of the type A fractures were treated surgically. Overall facial swelling and paraesthesia of the infraorbital nerve were found as most common clinical findings. Additionally, malar depression and extraoral steps were frequently found in the surgically treated group, as in the non-surgically treated group only facial swelling was found frequently, whether there was fracture displacement or not. The clinical characteristics 'extraoral steps', 'intraoral steps', and 'malar depression' were found to be significantly related to surgical treatment. CONCLUSION: Extraoral steps, intraoral steps, and malar depression were significantly related to surgical treatment. The group of non-surgically treated zygomatic complex fractures is a valuable group to investigate as this group also consists of patients with displaced fractures (i.e. surgical indication) and thus, could provide us more insight in future clinical decision methods. Therefore, we highly recommend more research of the non-surgically treated group.

Treatment of Cervicofacial Actinomycosis: A report of 19 cases and review of literature

Objectives: Actinomycosis is a chronic suppurative granulomatous infection caused by the Actinomyces genus. Orocervicofacial actinomycosis is the most common form of the disease, seen in up to 55% of cases. All forms of actinomycosis are treated with high doses of intravenous penicillin G over two to six weeks, followed by oral penicillin V. Large studies on cervicofacial actinomycosis are lacking. Therefore proper guidelines for treatment and treatment duration are difficult to establish. The aim of this study is to establish effective treatment and treatment duration for orocervicofacial actinomycosis. Study design: A Pubmed and Embase search was performed with the focus on treatment and treatment duration for cervicofacial actinomycosis. The hospital records of all patients presenting to our department with head and neck infection from January 2000 to December 2010 were reviewed, retrospectively. The following data were collected: age, gender, clinical presentation, aetiology, duration of symptoms, microbiological findings, treatment, and duration of treatment. The treatment and treatment duration is subsequently compared to the literature. Results: The literature search provided 12 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. All studies were retrospective in nature. Penicillin or amoxicillin/clavulanic acid are the preferred antibiotic regimens found in the literature. Most of our patients were treated with a combination of penicillin G 12 million units/day and metronidazol 500 mg 3/day, most commonly for a duration of 1 - 4 weeks, being shorter than the 3 - 52 weeks reported in the literature. Conclusion: When actinomycosis is suspected, our review has shown that a surgical approach in combination with intravenous penicillin and metronidazol until clinical improvement is seen, followed by oral antibiotics for 2 - 4 weeks is generally efficient (AU)

Treatment of cervicofacial actinomycosis: a report of 19 cases and review of literature.

OBJECTIVES: Actinomycosis is a chronic suppurative granulomatous infection caused by the Actinomyces genus. Orocervicofacial actinomycosis is the most common form of the disease, seen in up to 55% of cases. All forms of actinomycosis are treated with high doses of intravenous penicillin G over two to six weeks, followed by oral penicillin V. Large studies on cervicofacial actinomycosis are lacking. Therefore proper guidelines for treatment and treatment duration are difficult to establish. The aim of this study is to establish effective treatment and treatment duration for orocervicofacial actinomycosis. STUDY DESIGN: A Pubmed and Embase search was performed with the focus on treatment and treatment duration for cervicofacial actinomycosis. The hospital records of all patients presenting to our department with head and neck infection from January 2000 to December 2010 were reviewed, retrospectively. The following data were collected: age, gender, clinical presentation, aetiology, duration of symptoms, microbiological findings, treatment, and duration of treatment. The treatment and treatment duration is subsequently compared to the literature. RESULTS: The literature search provided 12 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. All studies were retrospective in nature. Penicillin or amoxicillin/clavulanic acid are the preferred antibiotic regimens found in the literature. Most of our patients were treated with a combination of penicillin G 12 million units/day and metronidazol 500 mg 3/day, most commonly for a duration of 1 - 4 weeks, being shorter than the 3 - 52 weeks reported in the literature. CONCLUSION: When actinomycosis is suspected, our review has shown that a surgical approach in combination with intravenous penicillin and metronidazol until clinical improvement is seen, followed by oral antibiotics for 2 - 4 weeks is generally efficient.

A 10-year analysis of the "Amsterdam" protocol in the treatment of zygomatic complex fractures.

Despite many publications on the epidemiology, incidence and aetiology of zygomatic complex (ZC) fractures there is still a lack of information about a consensus in its treatment. The aim of the present study is to investigate retrospectively the Amsterdam protocol for surgical treatment of ZC fractures. The 10 years results and complications are presented. The study population consisted of 236 patients (170 males, 66 females, 210 ZC fractures, 26 solitary zygomatic arch fractures) with a mean age of 39.3 (SD: ±15.6) years (range 4-87 years). The mean cause of injury was traffic accident followed by violence and fall. A total of 225 plates and 943 screws were used. Twenty-eight patients presented with complications, including wound infection (9 patients) and transient paralysis of the facial nerve (one patient). Seven patients (2.8%) needed surgical retreatment of whom four patients needed secondary orbital floor reconstruction as these patients developed enophthalmos and diplopia. In conclusion this report provides important data for reaching a consensus for the treatment of these types of fractures.

A ten-year analysis of midfacial fractures.

INTRODUCTION: With respect to maxillofacial trauma a substantial part consists of midfacial fractures. The distribution of fracture sites seems to be influenced by the cause of the injury, geographic location, local behaviour and socioeconomic trends. This retrospective study presents an investigation of the aetiology and incidence of midfacial fractures in Amsterdam over a period of 10 years. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 278 patients, 200 males and 78 females, with a mean age of 39.3 (SD: ±16.0) years and a male-female ratio of 2.6:1. Most fractures were found in the age group of 20-29 years for males and the age group of 50 years and older for females. The most common cause of the fractures was traffic related accidents. The main fracture site was the zygomatic complex, followed by the zygomatic arch and the orbital floor. In patients with alcohol consumption, violence was the main cause of injury. Complications consisted mainly of suboptimal fracture reduction, followed by temporary paraesthesia of the infraorbital nerve and wound infection. Complications were treated by retreatment, removal of the osteosynthesis material and antibiotic therapy. CONCLUSION: This study presents the aetiology and incidence of midfacial fractures in a Dutch population over a period of 10 years. Furthermore our treatment protocols for these fractures are discussed.

The epidemiological characteristics of zygomatic complex fractures: A comparison between the surgically and non-surgically treated patients.

INTRODUCTION: This retrospective study is aimed at the documentation of a more complete view of epidemiological data with particular focus on the characteristics of the surgically and non-surgically treated patients with zygomatic complex fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 133 surgically and 150 non-surgically patients were treated with zygomatic complex fractures in VU University medical center Amsterdam from January 2007 to January 2012 were analyzed. These patient groups were further subdivided into displaced or non-displaced fractures and compared with each other according to age, gender and trauma etiology. RESULTS: The mean age of all 286 patients was 42.8 years (standard deviation [SD: ±19.8]). Surgically and non-surgically treated patients differed in presentation with a significantly overall higher age of females, especially within the non-surgically treated patient group with displaced fractures (mean age of 59.5 years, SD: ±27.4). The mean ages of males from the different subgroups were more consistent with the overall mean age. The main causes were traffic accidents, whereas the contribution of falls and assaults depended on age group, gender, treatment management and even fracture displacement. CONCLUSIONS: This report provides us important epidemiological data of all patients with zygomatic complex fractures. The non-surgically treated patient group contained patients of higher age, more females and a fall-related cause, compared to the surgically treated patient group. The surgically treated patient group showed the same epidemiological characteristics as were demonstrated in previous studies.