LeFort fracture

LeFort fracture

Orthopedics A bilateral fracture of the maxilla, which is divided into 3 types, defined by R LeFort in 1901

LeFort fractures  

I  Dentoalveolar dysjunction Fracture lines are transverse through the pyriform aperature above the alveolar ridge and pass posteriorly to the pterygoid region; the diagnosis is suggested by lip lacerations, clinical malocclusion, mobility of the fractures bone when the examiner moves the incisor teeth

II Pyramidal fracture Superior fracture lines are transverse through the nasal bone and/or maxillary articulation; diagnosis is suggested by free mobility of anterior maxilla

III Craniofacial dysjunction Central third of face is separated from base of skull; diagnosis is suggested by major facial edema, ecchymosis, and facile mobility of middle third of face by examiner; LeFort III is the most severe midfacial fracture, and may require open reduction and internal fixation Sabiston, Ed, Textbook of Surgery, 14 th ed, WB Saunders, 1991  

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.