title: Medial maxillary fractures revisited.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We consider medial maxillary fractures to be a unique type of nasomaxillary buttress fracture involving the lateral margin of the piriform aperture, the maxillary frontal process and the medial aspect of the infraorbital rim. This article aims to define medial maxillary fractures as a unique type of facial bone fracture.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight patients with medial maxillary fractures were treated at our hospital from May 2010 to June 2013. Every patient was preoperatively evaluated using three-dimensional and multidimensional computed tomographic scans and surgically treated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The subjects were seven men and one woman (mean age: 17.5 years). The common mechanism of injury was interpersonal impact followed by small object impact. All of the patients exhibited epistaxis and hypoaesthesia affecting the maxillary nerve and/or its branches, and some patients also displayed nasal deformities and/or diplopia. An oral approach was employed in every case, and it was combined with a subciliary approach in some cases. Medial maxillary fractures involve the maxilla, lacrimal bone, ethmoid bone and/or nasal bone. The main difference between medial maxillary fractures and nasoethmoid orbital fractures is the bones they affect.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Medial maxillary fractures are a unique type of nasomaxillary buttress fracture and should be classified as such because of the bones they affect, their symptoms and the surgical approaches used to treat them.
authors: Department of Plastic Surgery, Saiseikai Nakatsu Hospital, 2-10-39, Shibata, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0012, Japan. Electronic address: Yoshioka0225@aol.com.
authors: Nobutaka
authors: N
authors: Yoshioka
authors: Department of Plastic Surgery, Saiseikai Nakatsu Hospital, 2-10-39, Shibata, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0012, Japan.
authors: Soichi
authors: S
authors: Tomita
authors: Department of Plastic Surgery, Saiseikai Nakatsu Hospital, 2-10-39, Shibata, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0012, Japan.
authors: Hiroshi
authors: H
authors: Nishikawa
authors: Department of Plastic Surgery, Saiseikai Nakatsu Hospital, 2-10-39, Shibata, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0012, Japan.
authors: Atsuhiro
authors: A
authors: Arakawa
authors: Department of Plastic Surgery, Saiseikai Nakatsu Hospital, 2-10-39, Shibata, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0012, Japan.
authors: Shinichi
authors: S
authors: Sesaki
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005147:Facial Bones / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008440:Maxillary Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D009917:Orbital Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Facial bone fractures; Maxillary fractures; Medial maxilla; Medial maxillary fractures; Nasoethmoid orbital fractures