Case report of a zygomatic bone hemangioma surgery with reconstruction by a custom-made implant.

Intraosseous hemangiomas are rare tumors. A 43-year-old woman was referred with a mass in the right zygomatic bone, showing a slow volume increase and pain symptomatology. A surgical management with bone reconstruction using a custom-made implant was decided. Historically, various autografts and alloplastic materials have been used for this type of bone loss. The use of custom-made biomaterials opens new possibilities in maxillofacial reconstructive surgery. The patient showed no symptoms postoperatively and her zygomatic bones were symmetrized. For the authors, this approach seems to be a reliable and reproducible method for zygomatic bone reconstructions.

Impact of early intravelar veloplasty at six months on mandibular growth in patients with Pierre Robin Sequence.

Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS) combines mandible microretrognathia, asynchronism of the pharynx and tongue, glossoptosis and, in some cases, cleft palate. Its principal functional consequences are respiratory and feeding problems during the neonatal period. In this study, we focused on the impact of early closure of the cleft at six months on mandibular growth in patients with PRS. We performed a retrospective study of 15 patients followed for PRS and undergoing surgery performed by the same senior surgeon (HB) at our cleft center between 2005 and 2012. These patients underwent early closure of the cleft (at a mean age of 5.87 months) by intravelar veloplasty, as described by Sommerlad. Only one article with exploitable data analyzing facial and mandibular growth in a cephalometric study of children with PRS has been published. The children in this series, constituting the control group for our study, underwent veloplasty between the ages of 12 and 18 months, often accompanied by labioglossoplasty, and the cephalometric study was carried out between the ages of four and seven years. We compared this control group in which surgery was performed at 12-18 months with our series of children undergoing surgery at six months, in a cephalometric study based on teleradiographic profile measurements performed between the ages of four and seven years. We found that early closure of the cleft soft palate yielded results identical to those for the control group in terms of mandibular growth, without the need for labioglossopexy. Finally, early intravelar veloplasty led to early functional improvement in terms of speech and phonation.

Congenital Midline Upper Lip Sinuses: 3 Rare Cases.

Congenital sinuses of the upper lip are rare congenital malformations. There have been only 40 cases described in the literature. We report 3 cases of congenital midline upper lip sinus in Caucasian children. Two of those lesions were associated with other anomalies (complete cleft palate and hemifacial macrosomia or submucous cleft palate with bifid uvula). The pathophysiology remains unexplained yet. Congenital upper lip sinuses can be considered as possible microforms of cleft-lips. Associated anomalies are frequent and must be sought. The treatment is a full excision of the sinus tract and of the skin around the punctum in order to avoid risks of recurrence.

Management of Large Maxillomandibular Osteofibrous Dysplasia as Part of a Humanitarian Mission.

PURPOSE: Maxillomandibular ossifying fibroma is a benign tumor that affects young adults. Complete excision can allow satisfactory management with no recurrence. During a humanitarian mission, one is confronted with many types of damage from these fibromas. Their management requires wide resection (mandibulectomy interrupter or maxillectomy) and free flap reconstruction. However, technical conditions during a humanitarian mission might not allow the performance of a free flap reconstruction. How can such patients be managed? Should these patients receive a straightforward intervention performed on site during the mission or should they go to another country with a technical platform suitable for microsurgical reconstruction? PATIENTS AND METHODS: During a humanitarian mission in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 6 patients with large ossifying fibromas traveled to France to undergo wide excision of the lesion and free flap reconstruction using the fibula. The Enfants du Noma paid for the travel and medical costs. RESULTS: No flap was lost. Four patients (67%) had local (disunity of scar or local infection) or general (malaria) complications that quickly resolved. CONCLUSIONS: Most teams agree that free flaps should not be performed during humanitarian missions, and only 1 German team practices in Sokoto, Nigeria. Therefore, medical travel is an attractive solution that allows optimal management and requires financial assistance from humanitarian organizations.

Computer-assisted planning of distraction osteogenesis for lower face reconstruction in gunshot traumas.

PURPOSE: Reconstruction of gunshot wounds of the lower face remains a challenge for the maxillofacial surgeon. We present our experience with the use of virtual surgery using Computer-Assisted Design (CAD)/Computer-Assisted Manufacturing (CAM) techniques to create a custom-made distraction device and prefabricated cutting guides (for both fibula and jaw osteotomies) and for device positioning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We describe two cases of lower face reconstruction after gunshot wounds by osteogenic distraction osteogenesis (DO) and computer-assisted surgery (SurgiCase CMF 5.0® software, Materialise). Surgical osteotomies and placement of the custom-made distraction device were performed intraoperatively based on prefabricated guides. RESULTS: This fully digital preoperative planning improves the precision of osteotomies sites and distraction vectors. It largely reduces the operative time, with a greater operative safety. CONCLUSIONS: Reconstruction by DO allows the bone and soft tissues to be simultaneously regenerated. However, the control of three-dimensional reconstruction of the lower face with distraction is difficult in facial gunshot patients because of the difficulties in locating anatomical landmarks. Surgical osteotomies are pre-planned and rapidly performed using a cutting guide. Precise placement of the distraction device is achieved without the need for subjective assessment of the sole surgeon. In our experience, the surgery has resulted in outcomes similar to those predicted by the computer-assisted planning.