Epidemiology of Blindness From Facial Trauma: A Multi-Centre Nigerian Study.

Study Design: This is a multi-centre retrospective study. Objective: To determine the prevalence of blindness and pattern of facial trauma associated with blindness among Nigerians. Methods: A multi-centre retrospective study of all patients with facial trauma resulting in blindness, that were co-managed by maxillofacial surgeons and ophthalmologists in 4 Nigerian public tertiary hospitals between January 2010 and December 2019 was undertaken. Data was analysed by IBM SPSS Statistics (version 21.0 for windows, IBM© Inc, Chicago, IL). Results: Of 2070 patients who presented with major facial injuries during the study period, 61 eyes of 56 (2.7%) patients were blind. Blindness was bilateral and unilateral in 5 (8.9%) and 51 (92.1%) patients, respectively. The mean age (SD) at presentation was 36.2 (16.6) years, and 47 (83.9%) of these patients were males. Road traffic accident (n = 27; 48%) was the commonest mechanism of facial trauma, the cheek (n = 18; 40.9%) was the commonest site of associated soft tissue injury and zygomatic complex fracture (n = 19; 24.1%) was the commonest related fracture. Globe rupture (n = 34; 55.7%) was the leading cause of blindness. Enucleation (n = 7; 13.2%) and evisceration (n = 22; 41.5%) were performed on 29 eyes of which 12 (41.4%) patients had ocular prosthesis post-operatively. Conclusions: Blindness was recorded in 2.7% of Nigerians with facial trauma. The commonest mechanism of trauma and cause of blindness in at least one eye were road traffic accident and globe rupture, respectively. Eye removal surgery was necessary in about half of the blind eyes.

Unilateral Cleft Lip Repair: Assessment of Outcome of Olokun-Olaitan Vermillion Flap Approach.

This study aimed to assess the outcome of our novel free-hand approach. Numerous cleft lip repair techniques exist, all of which involve incisions on skin and excision of tissue. Unilateral cleft lip is the result of failure of migration of orofacial tissues in-utero. Cleft lip repair should ideally involve an approach that simulates nature by avoiding skin incision and tissue excision, as these are not known to occur in the normal natural sequence of events.Without incising skin or excising any tissue, vermillion flaps were raised exposing the muscular layer and edges of skin and mucosa. Similar tissue types were advanced and sutured across the cleft, replicating what should have occurred normally.All 28 patients (100%) treated using our technique had competent lips. Acceptable symmetry of the vermillion was achieved in 24 (85.7%) of the patients. Lip symmetry was judged to be acceptable in 22 (78.6%). Symmetry of the nose was acceptable in 18 (64.3%) of patients.The Olokun-Olaitan vermillion flap approach proved effective in the repair of unilateral cleft lip, as it compared very favorably with results obtained using Millard's technique.

Prevention of Earlobe Keloid Recurrence After Excision: Assessment of the Value of Presurgical Injection of Triamcinolone.

The ear is commonly involved in keloid formation, being often pierced. This study estimates the value of pre-excision triamcinolone injection of earlobe keloid, by comparing recurrence rates in patients who only received postexcision triamcinolone injection to those who had it administered before and after excision.The prospective intervention study involved 18 keloid lesions in as many consenting patients who presented with pedunculated earlobe keloid from January 2005 to January 2007.Triamcinolone doses were administered 10 mg/cm of lesion or sutured excision site. Each patient was followed-up for 10 years. Aggregate length of keloid lesions at presentation was 24.4 cm in Group A and 26.5 cm in Group B. Aggregate length of postexcision sutured wound in Group A was 16.1 cm, and 14.8 cm in Group B. Group A patients received a total of 1610 mg of triamcinolone, while a total of 4660 mg of same drug was administered to Group B patients, among whom 3180 mg was delivered presurgically. Total number of clinic visits during the course of treatment in Group A was 10, while that of Group B was 22. No patient with recurrent keloid was recorded in both groups.The authors concluded that there is no advantage to presurgical injection of triamcinolone when excision is considered as part of treatment protocol of a keloid lesion. This study helps to eliminate an ostensibly needless part of a commonly used treatment protocol.

Patient's Self-Assessment of Social-Approval After Mandibulectomy with Disarticulation: the Necessity for Jaw Reconstruction Following Loss of Facial Symmetry in a Resource-Poor African Setting.

OBJECTIVE: Mandibulectomy with disarticulation is usually carried out without reconstruction in Low-Income-Countries. Lower standards of living are usually acceptable and adapted to, in poor societies. This study compares patient's self-assessment of social approval among reconstructed and non-reconstructed cases of mandibulectomy with disarticulation in a resource-poor African setting. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This questionnaire-based study documented patient's self-assessment of social approval of themselves following mandibulectomy with disarticulation. 12 derived queries were administered on each patient, to test what they perceived of social acceptability of their facial features following mandibulectomy. RESULTS: All 10 patients who underwent mandibular reconstruction reported that they felt confident engaging in all forms of social activity, while all 10 who had resection without reconstruction did not. CONCLUSION: The low social approval perceived by patients who have undergone mandibulectomy with disarticulation without reconstruction necessitates that surgeons must strive to reconstruct this anatomical region even under circumstances of severe resource-constraint. The culture in the third-world is not supportive of patients who have not undergone reconstruction following resection, in spite of being victims of all-pervading poverty. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, investigative study.

Face of Noma and Extreme Poverty: Development of an Economic Index Derivable From Health Data.

Health is wealth. Economics is creation of wealth. There is a direct relationship between health and economics. Noma, associated with extreme poverty, can be used as an economic index.

Ranula Decompression Using Stitch and Stab Method: The Aluko Technique.

BACKGROUND: A ranula is a cystic lesion in the floor of the mouth, formed either as a retention cyst or pseudocyst as a result of extravasation of mucus in the surrounding tissue. It may be treated by micro-marsupialization, marsupialization or excision of lesion with or without the associated salivary gland. Marsupialization is usually achieved by cutting a slit and thereafter stitching the edges such that the epithelium of the exterior becomes continuous with that of the interior of a cyst. A stitch-and-stab technique of achieving patency of the created slit of marsupialized ranula is hereby presented. METHOD: A stitch and stab technique using four parallel consecutive strokes of the needle with attached polyglactin 910 suture material in alternately opposing directions was employed in treatment of 31 consecutive ranula patients. RESULTS: 100 % success was achieved using this technique in 31 ranulas. CONCLUSION: This stitch-and-stab technique for marsupialization has proven to be very successful. It is recommended for use by the general medical community, as it requires the Clinician to possess only minimal surgical skills. Bartholin's cyst can be so treated.

Reconstruction of tooth-bearing portion of mandible using polyglactin 910 sutures for internal fixation in the third-world: functional and cosmetic outcome.

BACKGROUND: This study analyzed the cosmetic and functional outcome of cases involving reconstruction of tooth-bearing portion of the lower jaw, using a polyglactin 910 suture for fixation. PATIENTS AND METHOD: This prospective intervention study documented the treatment outcome in 25 consecutive adult patients, who underwent immediate mandibular reconstruction following segmental resection of tooth-bearing portion of mandible. Cortico-cancellous bone graft was taken from the inner table of iliac bone, sparing the crest. Use of post-surgical inter-maxillary fixation was avoided. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients were recruited for the study. Seventeen were males and eight were females. Their ages ranged from 18 to 50 years, with a mean of 30.0 years. Average length of grafted bone was 9.8 cm. Following surgery, all 25 (100%) patients were judged to have satisfactory facial symmetry. One (4.0 %) had altered dental occlusion. Twenty-five (100%) had satisfactory bone union. All of the patients claimed to masticate satisfactorily. Assessment was carried out at the last post-operative follow-up visit for each patient who ranged between 22 and 83 months. CONCLUSION: Use of polyglactin 910 suture material for fixation in mandibular reconstruction following segmental resection of tooth-bearing portion has proven to be a cosmetic and functional success. It may serve as alternative for those among whom conventional treatment methods may be contraindicated. This method of bone fixation may serve as a reliable and much cheaper alternative in low-income countries. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic study.

Strategy for Successful Management of Facial Keloid Using Triamcinolone Injection as Adjunct to Surgery.

The literature on keloids is replete with authors expressing frustration with treatment results. Triamcinolone is effective in shrinking keloids and preventing their recurrence following excision, if delivered successfully. Strategies for effective delivery of drug are presented: recommended needle size, use of metal syringe, slow injection to avoid skin rupture, and delayed withdrawal of needle after injection. The futility of expecting pedunculated keloids to be completely flattened by steroid injection alone is mentioned.

Aetiology and presentation of ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint: report of 23 cases from Abuja, Nigeria.

Several studies have reviewed the management of ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), but only a few focused on the aetiology and clinical features. We retrospectively studied the aetiology and clinical features of patients with ankylosis of the TMJ who presented to the Maxillofacial Unit, National Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria, between 2004 and 2009. There were 13 male and 10 female patients, M:F ratio 1.3:1, age range 6-62, mean (SD) 20 (13) years. The aetiological factors were trauma (n=11) that comprised falls (n=6), untreated fractures of the zygomatic arch (n=4) and myositis ossificans (n=1); infection (n=9), that comprised cancrum oris (n=3) and ear infection (n=6); congenital or unknown (n=2), and coronoid hyperplasia (n=1). The maximum interincisal distance at presentation ranged from 0 to 25 mm (mean (SD) 6.7 (7.2) mm). Seventeen had facial deformities. The diagnoses recorded were as follows: left extracapsular ankylosis, (n=8); right intracapsular bony ankylosis, (n=6); left intracapsular bony ankylosis, (n=4); bilateral intracapsular bony ankylosis, (n=4), and bilateral intracapsular fibrous ankylosis (n=1). Extreme poverty was the main predisposing factor. There is a need for a concerted effort among healthcare providers, policy makers, and the world in general to eradicate poverty and improve healthcare to limit the incidence of ankylosis of the TMJ.