Infraorbital nerve function following treatment of orbitozygomatic complex fractures: A multitest approach

Abstract

Sensory disturbance following orbitozygomatic complex fractures was studied in 65 patients in relation to type of fracture and method of treatment. The fracture-type-dependent treatments were: no surgical intervention ( n=20), closed reduction with or without wire fixation ( n=17), open reduction with miniplate fixation ( n=15) and/or reconstruction of the orbital floor ( n=13). Several methods were applied to assess sensory function, on average 6.3 months after treatment, i.e. the patient's report and tests regarding touch, two methods of two-point discrimination, and cold, all applied on the cheek and upper lip. The various examinations indicated that, on average, the long-term sensory disturbance was most pronounced and severe in patients who underwent closed reduction without miniplate fixation. As the sensory disturbance of patients with open reduction and miniplate fixation approached the base-line level of patients for whom surgical intervention was not indicated, open reduction with miniplate fixation can be recommended as treatment for frontozygomatic suture fractures. The degree of sensory disturbance of patients who underwent orbital floor reconstruction was intermediate compared to patients with closed and open reduction respectively.