The management of pediatric type 1 nasoorbitoethmoidal fractures with resorbable fixation

Nasoorbitoethmoid (NOE) fractures are rare in the pediatric population. A recent study reported that NOE fractures account for 1% to 8% of all pediatric craniofacial fractures based on the National Trauma Data Bank. Although infrequent, NOE fractures must be appropriately identified and treated because of potential severe esthetic and functional complications. In this report, we discuss our experience treating the uncommon case of a 9-year-old girl who was involved in a motor vehicle accident and had traumatic injuries to the midface, including a type 1 NOE fracture. We elected to use biodegradable plates to treat her left type 1 NOE fracture because of concerns of facial growth disturbances with the use of conventional rigid fixation techniques at her young age. At 1-year follow-up, the patient demonstrated an acceptable outcome with no functional problems reported. We have also incorporated in this article a thorough review of the literature relating the evolution of biodegradable plates for the treatment of pediatric facial fractures.