Summary
A four-year old male Labrador Retriever was admitted with head trauma after being
hit by a car. The dog had sustained multiple nasal, maxillary, and frontal bone fractures
that resulted in separation of the maxilla from the base of the skull. A severely
comminuted left zygomatic arch fracture was also present. These fractures were all
repaired using a point contact, locking titanium plate system, in a single procedure
that resulted in excellent postoperative occlusion and immediate function. Healing
was uneventful. Full function and excellent cosmetic appearance were evident 13 months
after surgery. This case illustrates the ease of repair and the success of treatment
of severely comminuted maxillofacial fractures by conforming to basic biomechanical
principles taken directly from the human experience and successfully applied to the
dog; these included multiple plate application along the buttresses and trusses of
the facial skeleton. The plate fixation was applied to bridge the multiple fractures
along the most appropriate lines of stress. The small size of the plates, and the
ability to easily contour them to adapt to the bone surface in threedimensions, allowed
their placement in the most appropriate positions to achieve sufficient rigidity and
lead to uncomplicated healing without any postoperative complications.
Keywords
Maxillofacial - fracture - trauma - locking plates
