Browsing by Author "Haapanen, Aleksi"

Surgical treatment of condylar fractures is a much-discussed topic and a number of different techniques are used. We sent out a survey to maxillofacial trauma surgeons in the Nordic countries to gather information about regional differences in surgical praxis and post-operative treatment. A review of the literature was also conducted regarding the success-rate of different fixation plates. The survey yielded significant differences in the primary choice of fixation plate for the case of a subcondylar fracture presented, the most popular choices being two straight four-hole miniplates (27.8 %), a seven-hole lambda plate (25.0 %) as well as one straight four-hole miniplate (22.1 %). There was also division between respondents regarding choice of mono- versus bicortical screws (52.8 % versus 47.2 %) and post-operative dietary recommendations (soft diet ranging from two to eight weeks). The literature shows ample evidence favouring the use of two straight four-hole titanium miniplates for internal fixation over the use of a single straight four-hole miniplate, however newer three-dimensional plate designs are constantly being developed and have thus far shown promising results. We conclude that for optimal prognosis the single straight plate should not be used, only evidence-based treatment methods should be implemented. While there is some evidence to support the use of different three-dimensional plate designs, further research should be conducted before these can be seen as a viable choice for the standard double plating system.