Identifying the Best Reduction Point for Zygomatic Arch Fractures Using Surface Markers

Abstract

This study aimed to describe a straightforward and efficient surgical technique for identifying the ideal point of reduction in isolated zygomatic arch fractures using preoperative radiopaque markers. In addition, a retrospective review of patient outcomes associated with this technique was conducted. The collected data encompassed demographics, injury side, mechanism of injury, time of injury, and classification of the isolated arch fracture. Measured outcomes included radiographic anatomic reduction, clinical facial symmetry, surgical operating time, and maximum interincisal mouth opening. Descriptive statistics were computed for each study variable. A total of 12 patients (10 males and 2 females) with an average age of 39.25 years (range: 26–60 y) were included in the study. The mechanisms of injury comprised road traffic accidents (6 patients, 50%), sports-related injuries (2 patients, 16.7%), occupational injuries (2 patients, 16.7%), and falls (2 patients, 16.7%). On average, patients presented 3 days after the injury (range: 1–14 d). The fracture classification according to Reyes and colleagues categorized 10 patients (83.3%) as type 4 and 2 patients (16.7%) as type 2. Coronoid impingement was observed in half of the patients (50%). The average surgical time was 15.4 minutes (range: 12–19 min). All patients exhibited optimal radiographic anatomic reduction, clinical facial symmetry, and maximum interincisal opening. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the described technique is a simple and effective method for identifying the optimal reduction point in isolated zygomatic arch fractures.