Kirschner Wire Fixation for the Treatment of Comminuted Zygomatic Fractures

The Kirschner wire (K-wire) technique allows stable fixation of bone fragments without periosteal dissection, which often lead to bone segment scattering and loss. The authors used the K-wire fixation to simplify the treatment of laborious comminuted zygomatic bone fracture and report outcomes following the operation.

A single-institution retrospective review was performed for all patients with comminuted zygomatic bone fractures between January 2010 and December 2013. In each patient, the zygoma was reduced and fixed with K-wire, which was drilled from the cheek bone and into the contralateral nasal cavity. For severely displaced fractures, the zygomaticofrontal suture was first fixated with a microplate and the K-wire was used to increase the stability of fixation. Each wire was removed approximately 4 weeks after surgery. Surgical outcomes were evaluated for malar eminence, cheek symmetry, Kwire site scar, and complications (based on a 4-point scale from 0 to 3, where 0 point is 'poor' and 3 points is 'excellent').

The review identified 25 patients meeting inclusion criteria (21 men and 4 women). The mean age was 52 years (range, 15-73 years). The mean follow up duration was 6.2 months. The mean operation time was 21 minutes for K-wire alone (n=7) and 52 minutes for K-wire and plate fixation (n=18). Patients who had received K-wire only fixation had severe underlying diseases or accompanying injuries. The mean postoperative evaluation scores were 2.8 for malar contour and 2.7 for K-wire site scars. The mean patient satisfaction was 2.7. There was one case of inflammation due to the K-wire.

The use of K-wire technique was associated with high patient satisfaction in our review. K-wire fixation technique is useful in patient who require reduction of zygomatic bone fractures in a short operating time.