Management of Complications and Secondary Deformity After Fractures of the Midface, Orbit, and Upper Third of the Maxillofacial Skeleton.

Craniomaxillofacial trauma is a challenging entity to manage effectively and often necessitates serial evaluation and treatment. A multidisciplinary team is best served to evaluate and treat these complex injury patterns with the use of necessary adjuncts, such as neuronavigation, intraoperative imaging, custom implant use, and virtual surgical planning. Complications of facial trauma can present at a spectrum of time points and manifest in a variety of manners and as such patients should be observed closely and longitudinally. Although not all complications and secondary deformities can be avoided, this article highlights some common pitfalls and our unique management strategies.

Single-staged Tunneled Forehead Flap for Medial Canthal and Eyelid Reconstruction.

Purpose: The paramedian forehead flap, while initially used for reconstruction of nasal defects, has been adapted for repair of anatomical subunits in the medial canthal and eyelid area. A significant obstacle for utilizing the flap has been the bulky, unsightly vascular pedicle that is maintained between surgical stages. We describe our surgical experience using the tunneled variation in a single stage procedure. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed of three surgeons' charts over a 5-year period. All patients who underwent the tunneled paramedian forehead flap variation were selected. Outcomes measured included underlying pathology, Mohs defect area and depth, and canalicular involvement. Results: A total of 20 tunneled flaps were performed after successful Mohs excision of cutaneous malignancies. The average Mohs defect surface area was 13.57 cm2 with depth down to periosteum (n = 13), bone (n = 5), or orbital fat (n = 2). Five patients had full-thickness eyelid defects (25%), and nine (45%) had canalicular defects. The overall complication rate for this study was low with no flap failure. Two patients (10%) desired thinning of the subcutaneous flap for improved cosmesis, and one patient (5%) required further eyelid revision due to the complexity of the initial Mohs defect. The remaining 17 patients required no further surgical procedures. Conclusion: The tunneled paramedian forehead flap is a useful technique for medial canthal and eyelid reconstruction. This technique allows reconstruction of a challenging area. Complication rates are low, and this tunneled variation provides a single stage variation to the traditional multistage forehead pedicle flap.

Pediatric and adult vision restoration after optic nerve sheath decompression for idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

To compare presentations of idiopathic intracranial hypertension and efficacy of optic nerve sheath decompression between adult and pediatric patients, a retrospective cohort study was completed All idiopathic intracranial hypertension patients undergoing optic nerve sheath decompression by one surgeon between 1991 and 2012 were included. Pre-operative and post-operative visual fields, visual acuity, color vision, and optic nerve appearance were compared between adult and pediatric (<18 years) populations. Outcome measures included percentage of patients with complications or requiring subsequent interventions. Thirty-one adults (46 eyes) and eleven pediatric patients (18 eyes) underwent optic nerve sheath decompression for vision loss from idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Mean deviation on visual field, visual acuity, color vision, and optic nerve appearance significantly improved across all subjects. Pre-operative mean deviation was significantly worse in children compared to adults (p=0.043); there was no difference in mean deviation post-operatively (p=0.838). Significantly more pediatric eyes (6) presented with light perception only or no light perception than adult eyes (0) (p=0.001). Pre-operative color vision performance in children (19%) was significantly worse than in adults (46%) (p=0.026). Percentage of patients with complications or requiring subsequent interventions did not differ between groups. The consistent improvement after surgery and low rate of complications suggest optic nerve sheath decompression is safe and effective in managing vision loss due to adult and pediatric idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Given the advanced pre-operative visual deficits seen in children, one might consider a higher index of suspicion in diagnosing, and earlier surgical intervention in treating pediatric idiopathic intracranial hypertension.