Pediatric condylar fractures are commonly managed conservatively, as the condyle typically exhibits spontaneous remodeling. However, should conservative treatment be administered for severe deviated condylar processes? In a case involving a 7-year-5-month-old girl who fell from a height of 3 m, she sustained a mandibular parasymphysis fracture and bilateral condylar fractures, including a condylar base fracture with 60-degree medial deviation on the right side and a condylar head fracture, Neff type A, on the left side. To address the fractures, internal fixation was performed on the right condyle via a classical retromandibular approach, and a mini-plate was removed four months postsurgery. At a follow-up 12 years and 7 months later, the patient showed normal occlusion, TMJ function, and no visible scars. In addition, there was no facial deviation, although the surgical site condyle was larger than the nonsurgical site, suggesting that the surgical site facilitated normal growth while the nonsurgical site impeded it.
Copyright © 2024 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD.