Management of maxillofacial injuries in the Iran-Iraq war

Purpose: This study discusses types of maxillofacial injury, their treatment, and complications encountered in the Iran-Iraq war. Patients and Methods: During 1981 to 1986, 210 casualties were treated with 250 operations in Mostafa-Khomeini hospital in Tehran. Their records were analyzed retrospectively. The operations were mostly reconstructive and consisted of methods adopted because of available instruments of that time. Results: Mandibular defects were the most prominent kind of injury (43.2%), and approximately two thirds of them needed tracheostomy. Ophthalmic injuries represented 20% of midfacial injuries. Osteomyelitis was a common complication of primary phases of treatment. Conclusion: The inability to evacuate and promptly treat patients with gunshot wounds can result in complications, especially infections, that make the later phases of treatment difficult.