title: Management of retained foreign bodies in missile injuries of the maxillofacial region.
abstract: This study evaluates 22 patients with retained foreign bodies in the maxillofacial region that were all caused by penetrating missile injuries. Surgical intervention for the retrieval of the foreign bodies was carried out in 20 patients through the existing wounds and through separate incisions; all patients were followed up for a minimum of 2 months during which all the complications were registered and managed. Preoperative imaging is a prerequisite for the accurate localization of the foreign body and the subsequent successful removal of it. All patients developed complications that were categorized in this study into those that result from the injury itself and those that occur because of the retrieval procedure, the latter category being mostly easily managed. In general, all foreign bodies in the maxillofacial region should be removed; the surgeon involved should weigh the benefits and the perils of the removal, and the patient should be well informed about the possibility of the failure of removal of the foreign body.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, College of Dentistry, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq. salwan_bede@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Salwan Yousif Hanna
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Bede
authors.forename: Firas Taha
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Ahmed
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001860:Bone Plates; D002648:Child; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D018460:Fractures, Comminuted / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D019248:Jaw Fixation Techniques; D007572:Jaw Fractures / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008446:Maxillofacial Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000601:surgery; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011862:Radiography, Panoramic; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D054041:Weapons; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult; D015051:Zygomatic Fractures / Q000601:surgery