A modified external fixator system in treatment of mandibular condylar fractures

The purpose of this study is to evaluate patient's outcomes after condylar fractures treated with the modified external fixation system from 2008 to 2012.A group of 58 patients with unilateral and bilateral fractures of mandibular condyle was admitted in the authors' study.The final sample included a total of 44 patients, 24 males (54.6%) and 20 females (45.4%).The remaining 14 (24%) patients were excluded because they did not fulfill all the criteria requested.After 12 months from surgery, the functional-clinical evaluation of mouth's maximum opening and mostly extent of lateral excursion and of protrusion showed the following results: 8% of the sample showed a maximum mouth opening <30 mm, 72% of the sample showed a maximum mouth opening between 30 and 40 mm, 20% of the sample showed a maximum mouth opening >40 mm lateral excursion (contralateral to fracture) and protrusion was respectively of 9.5 and 3.9 mm.Only 2 (4.5%) of the 44 evaluated patients reported headaches. 86.5% of the patients showed no postoperative temporomandibular joint dysfunction; 9% of them reported occasional clicking, while 4.5% reported recurrent disorders. The average satisfaction score of surgery outcome reported by patients was 94.5/100, and it ranged between 50/100 and 100/100