RESUMEN
Lebanon has witnessed over the past 10 years fierce outbreaks of violence resulting in heavy casualties. Head and neck injuries secondary to bullets, shrapnel, and/or glass were quite frequent: 1,357 injuries in 1,021 patients were taken care of by members of the Department of Otolaryngology between 1975 and 1984. They were distributed as follows: (Formula: see text). Fractures of the mandible were treated by closed reduction in 54% of cases and by open reduction in 46%; 74% healed well and 26% required secondary surgery. Primary repair of oral cavity injuries resulted in healing in 68% of cases; 32% had dehiscences or fistulae. In around one-third of the orbital injuries, the orbital contents herniated into the maxillary sinus, so orbital floor repairs had to be done with good results in 82% of cases. The nasal fractures were treated by closed reduction in 75% of cases and open reduction when the wound was open in the rest. The overall infection rate was 12%. The most common offending organisms were, in order of frequency, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and E. coli.