Mini - Retromandibular access to sub condylar mandibular fractures - Our experience

Condylar fractures alone accounts to about 25% to 40% of all the fractures of mandible. Management of condylar fractures has always been a controversy. Nowadays there has been more emphasis on open reduction of condylar fractures by the surgeons.The reasons could be the result of complications of closed reduction where the patient may not be able to masticate properly and deviation still present thereby the structural and functional loss forcing the surgeons' choice to open up. The anterior parotid approach has lesser risk of injury to parotid gland and also to facial nerve we attempted to use mini retro mandibular access for such fractures. So the aim was to explore the feasibility of the mini retro mandibular approach to sub condylar fractures. The patients reported to the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery department clinically and radio logically diagnosed and treated for condylar fractures were included. The maximal mouth opening, protrusive and lateral excursive movements, midline orientation with opposing arch, scar visibility, sialocele and facial nerve weakness were all recorded post operatively and compared with pre-operative recording. The mini retro mandibular access with anterior parotid transmessetric approach to sub condylar fractures can be the choice for the surgical management of sub condylar fractures which is absolutely easy, reliable, with less visible scar and with less chances of landing in facial nerve complications.