Maxillofacial fractures in the province of Latina, Lazio, Italy: review of 400 injuries and 83 cases.

A retrospective study was performed to assess maxillofacial fractures in patients treated at the public "S.M. Goretti Hospital" hospital from 2011 to 31/8/2012. Data were prospectively recorded including age and sex, cause and mechanisms of injury, soft tissue injuries, dentoalveolar trauma, facial bone fractures and type of treatment. The pre-surgical and post-surgical hospitalization days were also analysed. Causes were grouped into five categories: road traffic collision, sports accidents, occupational accidents, assaults and domestic accidents. The analyses involved descriptive statistics. Records from 83 patient sustaining 95 maxillofacial fractures were evaluated. The zygoma was the most fractured anatomical site in both males and females, accounting for 32% of injuries, followed by isolated fracture of the orbital floor (blow-out and blow-in) with 11%. The age group between 18 and 39 years showed the highest rate of incidence of maxillofacial fractures. Men were more involved than women in all cases with a male:female ratio of 5,4:1. Accidents were the most frequent cause of maxillofacial fractures in the age group between 18 and 39 years and interpersonal violence was the most frequent cause of maxillofacial fractures in the age group between 40 and 59 years. Facial fractures occurred primarily among men under 30 years of age, and the most common sites of fractures in the face were the mandible and the zygomatic complex. Road traffic collisions were the main aetiologic factor associated with maxillofacial trauma.

Diagnosis and treatment of synovial chondromatosis of the TMJ: a clinical case.

Synovial chondromatosis is a rare, benign, chronic, progressive and proliferative lesion that usually affects large joints. This disease is characterized by the development of cartilaginous nodules within the space of synovial joints, tendon sheaths or cases; the nodules subsequently degrade, detach and form free-floating, calcified bodies within the joint space. In 1933, Axhausen described the first case of synovial chondromatosis affecting the temporomandibular joint. The aetiology still remains unknown, but a history of trauma and inflammation is often found. Clinical symptoms of chondromatosis affecting the TMJ are often characterized by swelling, pain, headache, crepitation, malocclusion and joint dysfunction. The big challenge concerning synovial chondromatosis is to suspect and establish a correct diagnosis. These nonspecific initial signs and symptoms may mimic other nonspecific TMJ's diseases and can easily lead to a delay in diagnosis or a misdiagnosis. Here we present a case of synovial chondromatosis of the TMJ and the appropriate diagnostic and treatment performed.

Management of facial trauma in patients older than 75 years.

According to the literature and World Health Organization, elderly people are specified as persons older than 65 years of age. The authors believe that the indication for surgery patients over 65 is based on the restoration of functionality and the aesthetics. The behavior of the surgeon has to change with patients aged older than 75 years where the restoration of function and, therefore, a good quality of life is far more important than the aesthetic restoration. In a retrospective study of 1022 patients consecutively hospitalized at Maxillofacial department in Roma, Università "Sapienza," the patients older than 75 years were analyzed. During this period, the data of all patients undergoing treatment because of trauma-related injuries were collected. Data were registered regarding etiology, localization of the injury, surgical treatment ratio, medium average stay, age, and sex distribution. Surgical treatment in these patients should be driven by the general condition of health whenever possible; reduction of facial fractures should be guided by the need to return a good quality of life for the patients. The goal of this study was to analyze a new group of population, people older than 75 years, that is, a real new and growing group of population.