title: An analysis of 1,423 facial fractures in 788 patients at an urban trauma center.
abstract: The hospital records of all patients presenting to a large urban trauma center emergency department with facial fractures from 1980 through 1984 were reviewed retrospectively. There were 788 patients in the study group, averaging 1.8 fractures per patient for a total of 1,423 facial fractures. The study population had 638 (80.9%) males and 150 (19.1%) females. Racial mix was 71.6% black, 27.8% white, and 0.6% oriental. The most frequent fracture involved the zygoma (23.6%), followed by the orbital floor (21.4%), maxilla, mandible, and nasal bones. The most frequent etiology was assault with a blunt object or fist (70.1%) followed by motor vehicle accidents (13.5%), falls (9.3%), and gunshot wounds (6.1%). Initial diagnostic procedures included a facial X-ray series in 99.9%, tomograms in 43.1%, and CT studies in 8.1%. Surgical intervention was required in 61.2% of cases. Prosthetic materials were used in 8.5% of the cases. At our institution, personal assault was found to be the primary cause of both midface fractures and mandibular fractures.
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scherer
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Robson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005147:Facial Bones / Q000293:injuries*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012887:Skull Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D014193:Trauma Centers; D014505:Urban Population