• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.625-630
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• 2007

Fractures of the mandibular condyle are account for between 26% and 57% of all mandibular fractures. Clinicians should decide how to treat the fractured condyle with many factors considered. Many surgical methods have been developed to reduction of fractured condyle and it' s internal fixation. In open reduction of fractured condylar neck and subcondyle, retromandibular approach offers a safe and effective approach for direct fixation due to easy access and low surgical morbidity.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.253-255
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• 2010

Identification and protection of the facial nerve is very important in the proper operation of the parotid tumor. Posterior approach which finds main trunk of the facial nerve by surgical landmark such as tragal pointer, tympanomastoid suture, and posterior belly of digastric muscle is most commonly used. In case of posterior located tumor, inferior approach may be used, in which the retromandibular vein is followed from the neck and inferior branch of the facial nerve is located. In general, the facial nerve lies superficial to the retromandibular vein. But we experienced the anomalous relationship of the facial nerve and the retromandibular vien. We report this case with a literature review.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.283-288
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• 2006

There are several manners for surgical approaches to the mandibular condyle. With the retromandiular approach, the condyle and fracture are exposed directly and allow for good inspection and reduction. The retromandibular scar is very well camouflaged and practically invisible. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical results of retromandibular approach for the reduction and fixation of fractured mandibular condyles. We described postoperative complications such as temporary facial nerve weakness involving the marginal mandibular branch, mouth opening limitation and malocclusion in 13 patients with mandubular condylar fractures; 11 subcondylar fractures and 2 condylar neck fractures. The follow-up period was longer than 6 months in all patients. The retromandibular approach was successful in all subcondylar fracture cases. 2 patients with condylar neck fracture had mouth opening limitation and temporary marginal nerve palsy longer than 3 months. But there were no cases of permanent nerve injury and malocclusion. Our findings indicate that retromandibular approach is an easy and safe technique for subcondylar fracture but not for condylar neck fracture.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.55 no.10
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• pp.696-705
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• 2017

Condylar fractures account for one-third of all mandibular fractures. There are many surgical methods for the open reduction of condylar fractures, such as the transoral, submandibular, preauricular, and retromandibular approaches. Two patients suffering from condylar fractures, a 45-year-old man and a 25-year-old man, were admitted to our hospital. Both patients' condylar fractures were positioned too high for us to use the transoral approach. Therefore, we employed the retromandibular method to expedite the approach to the fracture site and minimize the size of the incision. After the surgical procedures in both cases, we experienced complications in the form of parotid gland fistulae, which rarely result from the retromandibular approach. A combination of botulinum toxin injection and amitriptyline medication was effective for the management of these parotid gland fistulae. Here, we report these two cases and offer a review of the literature on this article.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.739-743
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• 2005

Subcondylar fractures have generally been treated by intermaxillary fixation except in cases where there is an absolute indication for open reduction. The reason behind a less aggressive surgical approach lies on the inherent difficulties in manipulating fragments in such a small area at the risk of damaging facial nerves or vessels such as the internal maxillary artery. However, long-term follow-up studies showed that conservative treatment of subcondylar fractures results in disturbances of occlusal function, deviation of the mandible, internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint, and ankylosis of the joint. We carried out open reduction of dislocated subcondylar fractures in 14 patients from 2000 to 2004 by a retromandibular approach. After the reduction of fractured bone, two H-shaped miniplates with 6 holes were fixed with screws at the anterior and posterior surfaces of the subcondyle. The retromandibular approach allowed good access and easy manipulation of the subcondyle. Immediate relief from malocclusion and correction of mandibular midline shifting were observed in all patients. Late temporomandibular dysfunction and ankylosis were not observed. Open reduction with plate osteosynthesis made it possible to avoid IMF in 7 of the 14 patients. The present study shows that open reduction through this retromandibular approach can produce good outcome in adult patients with subcondylar fracture.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.54 no.12
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• pp.1045-1054
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• 2016

Purpose : Aim of this study is to describe and compare clinical results and complications epending on the surgical approaches for the mandibular subcondyle fracture Materials and methods : The patients who had been diagnosed as the mandibular subcondyle fracture and underwent open reduction and internal fixation from May 2009 to December 2014 were included. They were divided into two groups depending on the surgical approaches; endoscopically assisted transoral approach and retromandibular approach. Association between the preoperative fracture classification and post-operative results was reviewed depending on the surgical approaches. Results : The number of patients selected in this study was 33. Eighteen patients (male 7, female 11) underwent open reduction and internal fixation via retromandibular approach and fifteen patients (male 12, female 3) underwent open reduction and internal fixation via endoscopically assisted transoral approach. The mean age, follow up period, and operation time were $44.29{\pm}15.19years$, $9.97{\pm}7.82months$, and $161{\pm}89.44minutes$. Post-operative results were all "good" state in the retromandibular approach group regardless of the fracture classification but two patients in the endoscopically assisted transoral approach group underwent re-operation due to "poor" results. The fracture types of two were classified as displacement and lateral override at the same time. There was no statistically significant difference between two groups. Three patients in the retromandibular approach group had experienced facial nerve palsy (17%) temporarily. No one showed malocclusion in this study. There was no significant difference on the complications such as temporomandibular disorder, local infection, and condyle resorption depending on the surgical approaches. Conclusion : In this study, there was no significant difference on the complications between the two groups but retromandibular approach has advantage over endoscopically assisted transoral approach in case of the severely displaced subcondyle fracture.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.17-22
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• 2008

Purpose: For several decades, open reduction has been a controversial issue in mandibular condyle fracture. The authors have successfully used the open reduction and internal fixation with retromandibular approach and have found it to be satisfactory for mandibular condyle fracture. Methods: A total of 10 patients with mandibular condyle fracture underwent open surgical treatment using retromandibular approach. The incision for the retromandibular approach was carried below the ear lobe and the facial nerve branches were identified. Dissection was continued until the fracture site was exposed and internal fixation was performed with miniplate following intermaxillary fixation. The average period of joint immobilization was 1 weeks and the arch bars were removed in 3 weeks on average. The preoperative and postoperative panoramic view and three-dimensional computed tomography were compared. During the follow up period, we evaluated the presence of malocclusion, chin deviation, trismus, pain, click sound, facial nerve palsy, hypertrophic scar and skin fistula. Results: According to the radiographic findings, the fractured condyle was reducted satisfactorily in all patients without any symptoms of facial palsy. During the follow up period ranged form 6 to 12 months, all clinical symptoms were improved except in one case with chin deviation and malocclusion. Conclusion: Using open reduction and internal fixation of mandibular condyle fracture with retromandibular approach, all results were satisfactory with good functional outcomes and minimal complication. We concluded that the open surgical treatment should be considered as the first choice for mandibular condyle fracture management.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.631-635
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• 2007

Purpose: The classic technique for open reduction of subcondylar fractures is the submandibular approach. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical result of retromandibular approach to displaced subcondylar fractures. Material and methods: During a period of 24months we perfomed a prospective study with a retromandibular approach in 23 patients with displaced subcondylar fractures. In this article we describe clinical result in 23 patients with follow ups for 3 months after surgery. Preoperatively all patients had malocclusion and radiology demonstrated displacement. Result: The retromandibularl approach for ORIF was good in all case. Mouth opening(M/O) was 49mm. Occlusion was good too. Permanent facial nerve palsy was not detected. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the retromandibular approach is a safe technique for subcondylar fractures.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2018

Background Condylar process fractures account for one-third of all mandibular fractures, and the distal fragment is prone to dislocate to the medial side due to the pulling of the lateral pterygoid muscle. Retromandibular approaches are commonly used, but the intraoperative view becomes limited in medially dislocated fractures. This study summarized a series of cases of retromandibular reduction for medially dislocated condylar process fractures and described our supplementary procedure to realign the dislocated condylar process. Methods Nine patients with medially dislocated condylar process fractures underwent surgical correction from January 2012 to December 2016. In 6 of them, it was possible to realign the fractures with a conventional retromandibular approach, but for 3 cases of severe dislocation to the middle cranial fossa, a supplementary transoral procedure was carried out. The angle difference between the ramus and condyle, ramus height, and maximal mouth opening (MMO) were evaluated. Results All 9 cases were restored to the proper anatomical alignment without any major complications, and postoperative images revealed successful union. The angle difference was $8.94^{\circ}{\pm}4.11^{\circ}$ preoperatively, and $0.99{\pm}0.49^{\circ}$ at the 6-month follow-up. The pretreatment ramus height difference was $6.12{\pm}6.09mm$, and the postoperative difference was $0.18{\pm}0.10mm$. These changes after surgery were statistically significant. The MMO before surgery was $11.44{\pm}3.0mm$, and the postoperative MMO was $37.2{\pm}2.9mm$, reflecting a significant increase after reduction. Conclusions Retromandibular reduction is a useful method in medially dislocated condylar process fractures, and additional transoral assistance should be considered to realign condylar processes that severely dislocate to the middle cranial fossa.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.73-78
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• 2018

Objectives: The goal of this study was to evaluate the rates of complications, morbidity, and safety with the transparotid approach. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted and consisted of 53 surgically treated patients in the past five years for low condylar neck and subcondylar fractures. Only patients with malocclusion and who underwent open reduction with internal fixation with the retromandibular transparotid approach were included. The examined parameters were postoperative suboptimal occlusion, deflection, saliva fistula, and facial nerve weakness. Results: Fifty-three patients had an open reduction with internal fixation on 55 sides (41 males, 77.4%; mean age, 42 years [range, 18-72 years]). Four patients (7.5%) experienced transient facial nerve weakness of the marginal mandibular branch, but none was permanent. Four patients had a salivary fistula, and 5 patients showed postoperative malocclusion, where one needed repeat surgery after one year. One patient showed long-term deflection. No other complications were observed. Conclusion: The retromandibular transparotid approach is a safe procedure for open reduction and internal fixation of low condylar neck and subcondylar fractures, and it has minimal complications.