Retrospective analysis of surgically treated Le Fort fractures

Craniofacial suspension, in conjunction with intermaxillary fixation (IMF), is the time-honored method of Le Fort fracture repair. However, several patients with maxillary fractures treated at the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont in Burlington by the oral surgery and otolaryngology services have been managed with IMF alone. Twenty-one of these patients were examined retrospectively through comprehensive dental and otolaryngologic clinical analyses. Traditional concerns for facial elongation and nonunion were among the key questions addressed by this study. There was no evidence of nonunion in any patient examined. A comparison of each patient's lateral cephalometric roentgenogram with computerized norms suggested that facial elongation did not occur when IMF alone was the principal method of repair.