Frontoethmoidal fractures as a result of war injuries

Ninety frontoethmoidal fractures, as a result of war injuries from 1991 to 1994, produced 0.7% of all war injuries (i.e., 9% of head and neck injuries treated in the Military Medical Academy, Belgrade). These injuries were mainly part of complex endocranial, orbital, and zygomaticomaxillary injuries, and were rarely isolated. The central part of these injuries were in the ethmoidal region, which was isolatedly injured in 23.3% of the cases. There was 53.3% injuries with small fragments of explosive devices inside the wound, and 16.7% of through-and-through wounds were caused by sniper bullets. The priority over all definitive operative procedures belonged to osteoplasties whenever possible, because the primary goal was protection of life. About 3.3% of the patients died because of severe hemorrhagic shock and endocranial injury. There was only one case of recurrent meningitis. Most of the patients had multiple injuries and were mutually operated on by two different surgical teams.