1987 Volume 33 Issue 11 Pages 2230-2238
We treated the majority of displacements and dislocations of mandibular condyle fragments surgically and other cases with conservative treatment for years. Inauires were made of case records of 123 patients with a diagnosis of fractures of condylar process in our ward in the 15-year-period 1971 through 1985 to observe results. Sixty-six of 123 patients responded to the questionnaire. They were composed of 36 patients with surgical treatment and 30 with conservative treatment. After analyses, we obtained the following results.
1. In functional views of the temporomandibular joint, prognoses of displacements and dislocations of condylar fragments were just as good as those of no displacements and deviations when they are treated surgically.
2. Prognoses of surgical treatments of condylar fractures were not influenced by patient age, situation and the location of fracture of condylar process and period from trauma to treatment.
3. The surgical treatments resulted in four cases of paresthesias in the cheek and two cases of paralyses at a part of facial nerve.
4. We usually chose preauricular or submandibular approaches and the scars following incisions did not cosmetically please 27.8 per cent of the patients.
From the above, we assume that indications for surgical treatment of condylar fractures of the mandible are for elderly patients with displacements and adults with dislocation of fragment, bilateral displacements, lateral displacement or displacement which have lasted more than two weeks after trauma.
