Surgical management of naso-orbito-ethmoidal fractures: a systematic review

Objective. Naso-orbito-ethmoidal fractures (NOE) fractures are uncommon but critical injuries. This review aims to investigate the patient factors, procedural factors, and postoperative outcomes associated with the surgical management of NOE fractures. Study Design. PubMed and Scopus databases were systematically searched between 1993 and 2023 using the search strategy "(naso-orbito-ethmoidal OR nasoethmoid OR nasoorbitoethmoidal) AND fracture." Articles reporting clinical studies investigating the surgical management of NOE fractures were included. Articles that were duplicates, non-English, or non-full text; reported an unclear age range; reported insufficient data; and/or reported on a sample size less than 10 were excluded. Data on patient factors, procedural factors, and postoperative outcomes were extracted. Results. Of the 412 articles identified, 6 eligible articles (retrospective case series) representing 95 adult cases and 84 pediatric cases were included. The mean ages were 29.0 and 10.2 years, respectively. Most cases were male (65.3%; 73.9%). Motor vehicle accidents were the most common mechanism of injury (79.2% and 50.0%, respectively). Coronal incision was the most common approach. Epiphora (n = 33) and scar problems (n = 21) were the most common complications in adult and pediatric cases, respectively. Conclusions. Further robust longitudinal studies with a clear description of fracture classification and surgical timing would be helpful. Gaps in knowledge include concomitant injuries, digitally-assisted applications, and risk factors for adverse outcomes. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol 2024;138:9-20)