Causes and effects of zygomatico-orbital and zygomatico-maxillo-orbital fractures managed by open reduction and rigid internal fixation.

Progressive violence, the quickening pace of life and transport facilities' development have as a consequence an increased number of traumas. Midface fractures involving zygomatic bone fractures take one of the leading positions in the total number of traumas. It seems appropriate to study the causes and the effects of zygomatico-orbital and zygomatico-maxillo-orbital fractures managed by open reduction and rigid internal fixation at the present time of the medical service being reformed and economic rules being included in the treatment. The analysis of the economic consequences of midface traumas and their causes as well as the search for the influence of social and cultural changes on fracture management was the aim of the study. Histories of 61 injured patients treated by open reduction and rigid internal fixation in 1st Department of Maxillofacial Surgery of the Silesian Medical University in Zabrze between 1996 and 2001 were studied. Patients' sex, the most frequent trauma causes and their disposition in different age groups were taken into consideration. It was observed that certain symptoms of the fracture tend to coexist with high energy traumas (traffic accidents, violent assaults). The influence of injury's extension on the prolongation of hospitalization time was emphasized. It was concluded that assaults and traffic accidents are the most frequent and devastating causes of zygomatico-orbital and zygomatico-maxillo-orbital fractures. The fractures usually involve men aged from 21 to 40 years. The rapid growth of violence and the pace of life have in recent times necessitated the general use of advanced and expensive operating techniques in injured patients recently. The break in social and professional activity of injured individuals and the scale of the problem indicate the necessity of change in medical service financing.