Craniomaxillofacial trauma, or trauma of the skull and face, requires prompt and accurate diagnosis to ensure proper treatment. This is because the trauma often results in complex bony and soft tissue injuries.The wide spread use of high-resolution CT scanners and three-dimensional CT formatting has greatly enhanced preoperative bony analysis and planning by providing a life-like simulation of the fractures.

In spite of accurate diagnosis and injury analysis, some patients develop long term functional or cosmetic deformities that require additional intervention. Common post-traumatic facial deformities include:

– Soft tissue atrophy
– Post-traumatic enophthalmus
– Post-traumatic telecanthus
– Malar flattening
– Cranial defects

Post-traumatic enophthalmos is primarily due to alterations in the configuration of the bony internal orbit rather than to changes in the amount or character of its soft tissue contents, the treatment strategy for restoring eye position is the anatomic reconstruction of the internal orbit. This is best accomplished by defining the location and extent of injury preoperatively with computed tomography (CT) scans, wide exposure of the injured area and retrieval of orbital soft tissues, and replacement of the invariably comminuted displaced fractures with autogenous or alloplastic material.