Low velocity hand-gun injuries of the maxillofacial region.

In contrast to the number of reports in the literature describing high velocity injuries of the maxillo-facial region, there are relatively few which deal with civilian type gunshot injuries. The purpose of this study was to undertake a retrospective analysis of 40 cases of low-velocity hand-gun injuries of the maxillo-facial region. The majority of cases were due to assault followed by accidental shootings and failed suicide attempts. Injuries ranged from mild soft tissue damage without fractures to severe, comminuted fractures of the facial bones. In some cases, soft tissue damage was severe. Rarely were injuries life threatening. Entrance wounds were characteristically small and well circumscribed. In 60 per cent of cases the bullet did not exist and was retained within the tissues. The floor of the mouth and tongue were the soft tissues most commonly injured. Other structures injured were major blood vessels, nerves and the eye. Mandibular fractures occurred in 58 per cent of cases, followed in frequency by maxillary complex fractures. Twenty per cent of fractures simultaneously involved bones of the upper, middle and lower-thirds of the facial skeleton. The above injuries are discussed and a classification of low-velocity hand-gun injuries of the maxillo-facial region is proposed.