Craniofacial Surgery (Background) (Trauma and Birth Defects)

Today class was opened by our teacher reminding us about some dates and assignments, the remaining of the period we dedicated to researching for our thesis. Below is background on the new topic I am diving into: Craniofacial Reconstruction which not only happens when the person is born with a defect but as well as if a person suffers major trauma, this is the topic which I am most interested in about.

Background:

Craniofacial reconstruction dates back to the late nineteenth century, when doctors in Germany and France first used it to produce more accurate images of the faces of certain famous people who had died before the invention of photography. Early craniofacial reconstructions included those of Bach, Dante, Kant, and Raphael. The technique was then applied to reconstructing the appearance of prehistoric humans for museums and research institutions. An important contribution to the field was the publication in 1901 of three major papers on the classification of facial fractures by René Le Fort, a French surgeon. Le Fort identified the lines of weakness in the facial bones where fractures are most likely to occur. Traumatic injuries of the facial bones are still classified as Le Fort I, II, and III fractures. A Le Fort I fracture runs across the maxilla, or upper jaw; a Le Fort II fracture is pyramidal in shape, breaking the cheekbone below the orbit (eye socket) and running across the bridge of the nose; a Le Fort III fracture separates the frontal bone behind the forehead from the zygoma (cheekbone) as well as breaking the nasal bridge. A Le Fort III fracture is sometimes called a craniofacial separation.

Following Trauma:

Craniofacial reconstruction following trauma is a highly individualized process, depending on the nature and location of the patient's injuries. Emergency workers are trained to evaluate and clear the patient's airway before treating facial injuries as such; severe injuries to the midface and lower face frequently result in airway blockage caused by blood, loose teeth or bone fragments, or the tongue falling backward toward the windpipe. The trauma team may have to intubate the patient or perform an emergency cricothyroidotomy in order to help the patient breathe. The second priority in treating traumatic facial injuries is controlling severe bleeding.