title: Transconjunctival Approach for Zygomatic Fracture: A Single Surgeon's Experience of More Than 20 Years.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To let experts evaluate a single surgeon's experience with a combined transconjunctival and intraoral upper vestibular approach in the repair of zygomatic fractures encountered in 46 East Asian patients whom he treated over the past 20 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were identified from a database, and a retrospective case note review was conducted. A total of 67 conjunctival and secondary incisions were made on 46 patients for repair of zygomatic fractures. All operative procedures were performed using a combination of transconjunctival and intraoral upper vestibular approaches to repair zygomatic fractures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The infraorbital rim and/or lateral buttress and/or lateral orbit was stabilized with titanium miniplates in 28 patients and absorbable miniplates in 11 patients. Seven patients required only reduction technique with no need of plates. Four cases needed additional canthotomy besides a conjunctival approach. No ectropion or entropion developed in any of the patients. Complications included eyelid laceration during surgery (n = 1), herniation of the conjunctiva (n = 1), temporary pyogenic granuloma of the conjunctiva after surgery (n = 1), and temporary entropion in a secondary incision (n = 1).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A combined transconjunctival and intraoral upper vestibular approach in repairing zygomatic fractures is simple, easy, and effective, leaving no conspicuous facial scars. It is vitally important, however, that the surgeon masters the technique of transconjunctival approach well before he has good results in East Asian patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Saga University Hospital, Saga, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uemura
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Saga University Hospital, Saga, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidetaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Saga University Hospital, Saga, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Masumoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Saga University Hospital, Saga, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chuman
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Saga University Hospital, Saga, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiyasu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Satake
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Saga University Hospital, Saga, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yanai
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Saga University Hospital, Saga, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshimi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Saga University Hospital, Saga, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishihara
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Saga University Hospital, Saga, Japan.
authors.forename: Mamoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kikuchi