Postoperative Facial Edema Following Alveolar Bone Grafting: A Prospective Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Pediatric Dentistry

Background:

• Secondary alveolar bone graft (ABG) is crucial for cleft lip and palate repair.
• Postoperative facial edema is a common complication following ABG.
• The typical course of facial swelling post-ABG requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the natural progression of facial swelling after secondary alveolar bone grafting.
• To establish a baseline understanding of post-ABG edema for improved patient management.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study involving 17 patients (19 ABG procedures).
• Facial photographs were taken on four consecutive postoperative days and reassessed one month later.
• Three plastic surgeons assessed swelling severity with inter-rater and intra-rater reliability analysis.

Main Results:

• Swelling peaked on postoperative day 2 and began to subside by day 3.
• Inter-rater agreement was 63.2% (Cohen's kappa 0.377-0.755).
• Intra-rater reliability was 77.2% (Cohen's kappa 0.543), indicating moderate agreement.

Conclusions:

• The study clarifies the typical timeline of facial swelling post-ABG.
• Findings can assist clinicians in earlier detection of complications and provide more accurate swelling prognosis to patients and families.