Abstract
BackgroundThe objective was to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) before and after surgical treatment of zygomatic complex fracture and assess patients’ perceptions of the aesthetic and functional outcomes of surgery.Material and MethodsA prospective study of 79 adult patients before and after surgery for zygomatic complex fracture was conducted. HRQoL was measured using the generic 15-dimensional (15D) instrument, and patient satisfaction was assessed by an additional questionnaire.ResultsThe mean preoperative 15D score for patients was lower than for general population that was matched for age and gender (p=0.011). The mean 15D score was lowest on the first postoperative day (p<0.001) when patients were worse off for 6 of the 15 dimensions of the HRQoL instrument and better off for three dimensions. However, patients achieved, and even exceeded, the mean 15D score of the general population during the first month following surgery. Infraorbital sensory loss at the end of the six-month follow-up appeared to be the single most important factor that plagued the patients.ConclusionsHRQoL is significantly reduced after trauma but improves a few weeks after surgery. Infraorbital nerve sensory loss is a notable long-term factor that affects patients after zygomatic complex fracture. Key words:Zygomatic fracture, maxillofacial trauma, health-related quality of life, disturbance of infraorbital nerve, facial sensation.
Highlights
Of all the facial bones, the zygoma is susceptible to trauma because of its prominent position in the upper lateral midface
The results of the study confirmed that patients suffered from significantly lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after zygomatic fracture compared to that of the general population
Previous studies have reported that patients with zygomatic fracture suffer from problems such as infraorbital nerve paresthesia [3,4,16], visual problems [16], limited mouth opening and malocclusion [16]
Summary
Of all the facial bones, the zygoma is susceptible to trauma because of its prominent position in the upper lateral midface. In addition studies of facial trauma have reported that patients with sustained facial fractures have a higher incidence of social, psychological and behavioural problems [7,8,9,10] and are at risk of diminished health-related quality of life (HRQoL) [11,12]. We decided to perform a six-month prospective follow-up study to evaluate patients HRQoL before and after surgical treatment of a zygomatic complex facture. The objective was to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) before and after surgical treatment of zygomatic complex fracture and assess patients’ perceptions of the aesthetic and functional outcomes of surgery. Infraorbital nerve sensory loss is a notable long-term factor that affects patients after zygomatic complex fracture
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