ABSTRACT
Foreign bodies are often encountered by oral and maxillofacial surgeons and may present a diagnostic challenge to the trauma surgeon due to many factors such as the size of the object, the difficult access, and a close anatomic relationship of the foreign body to vital structures. They are usually a result of injuries or operations. Fragments of broken instruments can be left behind and entire teeth or their fragments can be displaced during extraction. The approach to this kind of injury should be sequential and multidisciplinary, beginning with the trauma unit that will provide maintenance of the airways, hemodynamic stabilization, and, but only if necessary, neurologic, ophthalmologic, and vascular evaluation. With a view to illustrating and discussing the diagnosis and treatment of this kind of injury, this study reports impacted foreign bodies in oral and maxillofacial region. The following data were collected: age, sex, race, etiology, occurrence of fracture, anatomic location of the fracture, daytime of the traumatic event, type of the object, signal and symptoms, type of imaging examination used, type of anesthesia, approach, transoperative complication, period between surgery and hospital liberation, and the occurrence of death. Foreign body injuries in the maxillofacial region can place the patient's life at risk, so a correct initial treatment performed by a multidisciplinary team increases the survival of this kind of patient.
Subject(s)
Foreign Bodies/diagnosis , Maxillofacial Injuries/diagnosis , Wounds, Penetrating/diagnosis , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Antibiotic Prophylaxis , Brain Injuries/etiology , Cause of Death , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Foreign Bodies/surgery , Hemostasis, Surgical , Humans , Iatrogenic Disease , Male , Maxillofacial Injuries/surgery , Middle Aged , Patient Care Planning , Patient Care Team , Premedication , Retrospective Studies , Sex Factors , Skull Fractures/diagnosis , Skull Fractures/surgery , Tetanus Toxoid/administration & dosage , Wounds, Penetrating/surgery , Young AdultABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to describe and discuss the gamut of current diagnostic and therapeutic modalities regarding impacted foreign bodies in the head and neck region, addressing xeroradiography, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, and ultrasonography as diagnostic aids and stressing the importance of a multidisciplinary team in the treatment of such injuries. Considerations are also offered on the different types and forms of presentation of foreign bodies that may be impacted in the maxillofacial region and specific treatment methods.
