Treatment of comminutive fractures by firearm projectiles with adapted wrist external fixator

Facial and mandibular aggression with gunshot wound (GSW) is highly complex and represents a challenge for the assistant surgical team because in addition to the inherent lethal potential, they have the capacity for destruction and mutilation caused by the high kinetic energy conferred to the firearm projectile. Among these lesions, comminutive mandibular fractures are difficult to treat because the anatomical planes are distorted, soft tissues are in severe disarrangement, and bone fragments are without periosteum, which, if opted for an open treatment, with internal fixation, favor the development of soft tissue infections, osteomyelitis, and suture dehiscence. The treatment of comminuted mandibular fractures with external fixator, widely used during the Second World War, represents a modality of treatment that minimizes the risks of failure, since it allows stabilization of the fractured mandible with minimal aggression to the soft tissues.

The objective of this study is to report three cases where surgical procedures were performed to treat comminuted mandible fractures with the adaptation of specific external orthopedic fixator for wrist.