The financial burden of mandibular trauma.

PURPOSE: Patients with mandibular trauma in the greater Seattle region are frequently transferred to Harborview Medical Center (HMC) despite trained providers in the surrounding communities. HMC receives poor reimbursement for these services, creating a disproportionate financial burden on the hospital. In this study we aim to identify the variables associated with increased cost of care, measure the relative financial impact of these variables, and quantify the revenue loss incurred from the treatment of isolated mandibular fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted of patients treated at HMC for isolated mandibular fractures from July 1999 through June 2010, using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision and Current Procedural Terminology coding. Data collected included demographics, injury, hospital course, treatment, outcomes, and billing. RESULTS: The study included 1,554 patients. Total billing was $22.1 million. Of this, $6.9 million was recovered. We found that there are multiple variables associated with the increased cost of treating mandibular fractures; 4 variables--length of hospital stay, treatment modality, service providing treatment, and method of arrival--accounted for 49.1% of the total variance in the amount billed. In addition, we found that the unsponsored portion of our patient population grew from 6.7% to 51.4% during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Our results led to specific cost-efficiency recommendations: 1) perform closed reduction whenever possible; 2) encourage performing procedures with patients under local anesthesia (closed reductions and arch bar removals); 3) provide improved and shared training among the services treating craniofacial trauma; 4) encourage arrival by privately owned vehicle; 5) provide outpatient treatment, when applicable; 6) offer provider incentives to take trauma call; and 7) offer hospital incentives to treat patients and not transfer them.

[Retrospective analysis of 2461 patients with maxillofacial fractures].

OBJECTIVE: To review the 2461 cases of maxillofacial fractures. METHODS: From 2003 to 2009, 2461 maxillofacial fracture cases were treated in Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Data regarding sex, age, cause of injury, occupation, geographic distribution, blood type, fracture site, multiple associated injuries, injury severity, the patient's first admitted department, treatment results were reviewed. RESULTS: The male and female ratio was 4.28:1, 1424(57.86 %) patients were between 20 and 40 years of age. The most common cause of injury was road traffic accident (938 cases, 40.98%). People in tertiary industry (900 cases, 78.53%) were most vulnerable to injuries. The zygomatic complex (22.08%), nasal bone (20.67%) and mandible (16.35%) were the most frequent fracture sites, which were often associated with skull (21.74%), brain (38.36%) and soft tissue contusion injury (48.84%). 85.98% (2116/2461 cases), of patients' AIS score was less than 2. Orthopaedics (939/2461 cases, 38.16%) was the first admitted department. CONCLUSIONS: The traffic accidents are the main cause of the maxillofacial fractures. Most injuries are found in the young and middle-aged people.

Osteoradionecrosis of the mandible: treatment outcomes and factors influencing the progress of osteoradionecrosis.

PURPOSE: The present study was undertaken to evaluate our recent experience with mandibular osteoradionecrosis (ORN) and to identify factors that contribute to its progress. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The medical records of 114 patients who had been treated for ORN during a 16-year period (1989 to 2004) were reviewed. The patients were then divided into 2 groups according to their response to conservative treatment. Group 1 consisted of patients whose ORN resolved with conservative treatment (n = 47). Group 2 consisted of patients whose ORN was unresolved with conservative treatment or who had required radical resection of the involved tissue (n = 67). The information was obtained from the medical records of the patients and analyzed. RESULTS: The patients whose ORN was associated with an early-stage tumor or preirradiation extraction had a favorable response to conservative treatment. However, those who had an advanced primary tumor, had continued smoking and drinking after radiotherapy, had received palliative radiotherapy or a radiation dose of more than 6,000 rads, and who had an orocutaneous fistula, a pathologic fracture, swelling, or trismus had a poor response to conservative treatment. In these latter cases, radical resection of the involved tissue proved useful. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study have indicated that several factors (ie, the stage of the primary tumor, signs of ORN) can influence the progress of ORN. Our results suggest that radical resection is a useful method for treating mandibular ORN that does not respond to conservative treatment.

Fracture of the coronoid and pterygoid processes by firearms: case report.

A rare case of fracture of the coronoid and the pterygoid process caused by firearms is described. A 28-year-old male was hit by a bullet in the face, resulting in restricted mouth opening, difficulty in chewing and pain when opening the mouth. Clinical examination revealed a perforating wound in the right parotid region and a similar wound on the left side of the same region. A CT scan showed comminuted fracture of the left coronoid process and bilateral comminuted fracture of the pterygoid processes. Treatment was conservative, speech therapy was conducted and it was successful. Details of the clinical signs, radiology (3D-CT scan), treatment and follow-up are presented.

Fracture of the coronoid and pterygoid processes by firearms: case report

A rare case of fracture of the coronoid and the pterygoid process caused by firearms is described. A 28-year-old male was hit by a bullet in the face, resulting in restricted mouth opening, difficulty in chewing and pain when opening the mouth. Clinical examination revealed a perforating wound in the right parotid region and a similar wound on the left side of the same region. A CT scan showed comminuted fracture of the left coronoid process and bilateral comminuted fracture of the pterygoid processes. Treatment was conservative, speech therapy was conducted and it was successful. Details of the clinical signs, radiology (3D-CT scan), treatment and follow-up are presented.

Um caso raro de fratura dos processos coronóide e pterigóide por arma de fogo é descrito. Paciente do sexo masculino, 28 anos de idade, foi atingido por projétil de arma de fogo na face, resultando em limitação na abertura da boca, dificuldade para mastigar e dor ao abrir a boca. Exame clínico revelou ferimento perfurante em região parotídea direita e ferida similar do lado esquerdo na mesma região. Tomografia computadorizada (TC) mostrou fratura cominutiva do processo coronóide esquerdo e fratura cominutiva bilateral dos processo pterigóides. O tratamento foi conservador, através de fonoterapia, obtendo-se sucesso. Uma descrição detalhada das características clínicas, radiológicas (TC com reconstrução 3D), tratamento e proservação do caso é apresentada.

5196 mandible fractures among 4381 active duty army soldiers, 1980 to 1998.

OBJECTIVE: We present the frequencies of various types of mandibular fractures along with associated mechanisms and injuries. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 5196 mandible fractures in 4381 patients extracted from the Total Army Injury and Health Outcomes Database (TAIHOD), a comprehensive database developed by the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) that links population data to all hospitalizations among active duty army soldiers. The database is based on the ICD-9 CM coding system. RESULTS: We found the following frequencies for specific mandible fracture locations: angle 35.6%, symphysis 20.1%, subcondylar 14.2%, body 12.7%, condylar process 9.1%, ramus 4.5%, alveolar border 2.7%, and coronoid process 1%. The mechanisms of injury were separated into seven categories. Fighting accounts for 36.2%, automobile accidents for 18.6%, athletics for 13.6%, falls for 9.7%, motorcycle accidents for 3.1%, other land transport accidents for 3%, and miscellaneous causes for 15.8%. A few fracture locations appear to be associated with specific mechanisms. Of 82 alveolar border fractures with known mechanisms, 37% resulted from automobile accidents. Of 1094 angle fractures with known mechanisms, 48.6% resulted from fighting. Our data show that the majority of fractures were isolated to one location. Only one fracture was recorded for 70.6%, 29.2% have two fractures recorded, 0.2% have three or more fractures recorded. Associated injuries were common and include facial lacerations 1236 (28.2%), non-mandible facial bone fractures 733 (16.7%), intracranial injury 403(9.2%), internal injuries 229 (5.2%), fractures of the upper limb 295 (6.7%), fractures of the lower extremity 302 (6.9%), and cervical fractures 34 (0.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The mechanism of injury is important in determining the most likely resultant mandible fracture in the case of angle of mandible and alveolar ridge fractures. The clinician should maintain a high level of suspicion for associated injuries that occur more than one fourth of the time and even more frequently in motor vehicle accident victims. Associated intracranial injury is particularly important to rule out. Associated facial fractures, intracranial injury, internal injuries, and extremity injuries are all more common than cervical fractures.

A study of sports-related mandibular angle fracture: relation to the position of the third molars.

Mandibular angle fractures have been considered attributable to the presence of unerupted third molars. We examined the relationship between the incidence of sports-related mandibular angle fractures and the presence of a mandibular third molar with emphasis on the position of the third molar. The incidence of angle fracture was significantly higher in the sports-related injury group than in the group with fracture due to other causes (P < 0.05). The incidence of angle fracture in the athletes with higher impaction scores was significantly higher than that in the subjects with higher scores who did not have sports-related fractures (P < 0.05). The percentage of rugby athletes with third molars was significantly higher than that of those without third molars (P < 0.001), and a high proportion of young athletes (89.5%) was considered to belong to a potential high-risk group for angle fractures. Our findings suggest that mandibular angle fractures are influenced by the presence and characteristics of the third molar in sports-related injuries.

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment of osteoradionecrosis of the mandible with repeated pathologic fracture. Report of a case.

Treatment of patients with osteoradionecrosis of the mandible with a pathologic fracture consists in almost all cases of a continuity resection of the mandible. This leads to functional and esthetic problems that can only be solved by often extensive surgery. In this case report we present a 38-year-old woman who developed osteoradionecrosis of the mandible with a pathologic fracture 1 1/2 years after combined surgical and radiation therapy of an adenocarcinoma of the right parotid gland. The patient had a subcondylar pathologic fracture together with osteolysis in the right mandibular body, normally an indication for partial resection of the mandible. Because of the absence of denuded bone, fistulation, and the poor quality of the surrounding soft tissues, a more conservative approach was chosen. Treatment consisted of hyperbaric oxygen and dental extractions with alveolectomy with the patient under local anesthesia. During follow-up, a second pathologic fracture occurred in the region of the right first and second molar. No additional treatment was given. Six and one-half years after the initial treatment and 5 1/2 years after the last fracture, the patient is free of complaints, the fractures have healed and both esthetic and functional results are good.

Hyperbaric oxygen in the treatment of osteoradionecrosis: a review of its use and efficacy.

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy is an established technology that is proving to be effective in the treatment of osteoradionecrosis. However, the studies that have shown this treatment modality to be effective have not established the optimum pressures, times of exposure, and frequency and number of treatment necessary for healing. In addition, most of the studies used HBO as an adjunctive treatment in the management of refractory osteoradionecrosis. The efficacy of HBO as a primary treatment modality has not as yet been established. Strictly controlled clinical trials are necessary for identification of patients who are likely to respond to HBO without aggressive surgery, to delineate a timetable for treatment of patients with HBO, and to coordinate surgery with HBO to resolve osteoradionecrosis when a significant amount of bone loss is involved.