Clinical Analysis of Isolated Zygomatic Arch Fractures

Yamamoto, Kazuhiko; Murakami, Kazuhiro; Sugiura, Tsutomu; Fujimoto, Masaki; Inoue, Masahide; Kawakami, Masayoshi; Ohgi, Kazuhiko; Kirita, Tadaaki

doi:10.1016/j.joms.2006.06.276

« Previous Next »Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Volume 65, Issue 3 , Pages 457-461, March 2007

Clinical Analysis of Isolated Zygomatic Arch Fractures

Kazuhiko Yamamoto, DDS, PhD
- Associate Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, Japan.
- Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Yamamoto: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijo-cho, Kashihara, Nara 634-8522, Japan
Kazuhiro Murakami, DDS, PhD
- Senior Resident, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, Japan.
Tsutomu Sugiura, DDS, PhD
- Senior Resident, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, Japan.
Masaki Fujimoto, DDS
- Research Associate, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, Japan.
Masahide Inoue, DDS, PhD
- Senior Resident, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, Japan.
Masayoshi Kawakami, DDS, PhD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, Japan.
Kazuhiko Ohgi, DDS, PhD
- Research Associate, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, Japan.
Tadaaki Kirita, DDS, DMSc
- Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, Japan.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyze the characteristics of isolated zygomatic arch fractures and to evaluate the functional and radiological outcomes of the treatment.

Patients and Methods

Forty patients with isolated zygomatic arch fractures were analyzed clinically.

Results

The patients were 25 males and 15 females with an average age of 42 years. The cause of injury was traffic accident in 26, followed by fall in 8, sports in 3, and assault in 3. The left side was involved in 25 cases. Fractures were classified into 5 types according to the degree of displacement and loss of bone contact. Reduction was performed in 31 patients, 26 treated by the Gillies temporal approach. Conservative treatment was chosen in 9 patients. The reduction status was excellent in 12 cases, good in 17 cases, and fair in 2 cases. There was no difference in the reduction status in terms of the fracture types or the interval between reduction and injury. Interincisal distance (IID) at maximal mouth opening recovered from 33.4 to 43.8 mm by excellent reduction, from 26.2 to 42.2 mm by good reduction, from 27.5 to 40 mm by fair reduction, and from 41 to 46.6 mm by conservative treatment.

Conclusions

Good functional and radiological outcomes were obtained in isolated zygomatic arch fractures. Reduction status was not influenced by either the fracture type or the interval between reduction and injury, and recovery of IID was similarly achieved by excellent, good, and fair reduction.