Computed tomography in maxillofacial trauma.

Computed tomography (CT) has become the key diagnostic modality in the evaluation of head trauma. Experience with CT in the operative assessment of maxillofacial injuries is limited, however. Plain films and multidirectional tomography have been used until now to define fractures in the facial region. We examined 27 patients sustaining maxillofacial trauma with CT scans. Ten patients were studied in the coronal plane, 12 in the axial plane, and the remaining 5 in both the axial and coronal planes. Polycycloidal tomography in the coronal and/or sagittal plane was obtained in 18 patients for comparison with the CT scan. Fracture lines, bony fragments, and associated skeletal deformities were clearly identified by CT scan in all 27 patients permitting the diagnosis of zygomatic, orbital floor, nasoethmoidal complex, LeFort, temporal bone, frontal sinus, and mandible fractures. More importantly, concomitant intracranial injuries including epidural and intracerebral hematomas, traumatic encephalocoele, and pneumocephalus were readily seen. In addition, facial and orbital soft tissue structures including the globe, optic nerve, orbital fat, and extraocular muscles were easily examined by adjusting the CT level and window settings. Overall, CT yielded additional information not available from polytomography in 15 of 18 cases when both modalities were used. Multidirectional tomography is currently superior to CT scanning if fine, intrinsic bone detail is required. However, we have found that complex fractures with fragmentation are more easily identified on CT scans than conventional tomography because of superior contrast resolution of computed tomography. With improved spatial resolution, CT scanning may totally supplant multidirectional tomography in the evaluation of maxillofacial trauma.