The influence of the mode of treatment of zygomatic bone fractures on the healing process of the infraorbital nerve

Abstract

Several authors have described the influence of the method of treatment of a fracture of the zygomatic complex on the recovery of the infraorbital nerve. In this study, the results of treatment of 106 patients with an isolated, non-comminuted, unstable fracture of the zygomatic bone are presented. Thirty-eight patients underwent fixation with interosseous wiring and 68 patients were treated with a miniplate osteosynthesis across the frontozygomatic suture. In the group with wire fixation, 50% suffered persistent reduced sensitivity in the infraorbital region at follow-up examination, whereas in the group with a miniplate osteosynthesis only 22.1% had persistent neurological sequelae. On the basis of these findings we recommend a miniplate osteosynthesis in all unstable zygomatic bone fractures with displacement.