[Analysis of 520 zygomatic fractures. 1].

A descriptive, longitudinal and retrospective study in carried out in a five-year period (1979-1983), during which treatment was provided for 520 patients with a zygomatic fracture diagnosis in the Maxillofacial Surgery services of the Saturnino Lora Surgical and Clinical Hospital. It was shown that Group III and IV zygomatic fractures are the most frequent and unstable, and that the latter ones are linked with the magnitude and direction of the displacement and especially with the duration of the course. The single reduction techniques are the most commonly used (76.5%), mainly Lothrop technique. It was found that those fractures for longer than seven days require combined reduction-contention techniques, except for Groups II and V. The combined management most commonly used was the Lothrop-Dingman. For frontozygomatic disjunction fractures 3 therapeutica variants were employed, according to the associated displacement and the postoperative stability. The contention means and method more commonly applied were the Foley catheter and the Jaraba-Kiviranta technique, respectively.