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| Craneomaxilofacial
surgery is the plastic surgery sub-specialty which studies and corrects
deformities presented in the cranium and face. These deformities may be
congenital malformations or due to trauma or its consequences. This sub-specialty
is in charge of treatment of acute fractures of the face and of the resulting
deformities from previous fractures. It is also in charge of correcting
congenital malformations which involve the whole face (such as Crouzon
malformation), or that involve only specific areas such as the cheekbone
area (malar hypoplasia), the central facial area (Binder Syndrome), the
dento-alveolar region (maxillary hypoplasia) or deformities of the cranium
and others.
An important part of this sub-specialty is the treatment of bony alterations which affect dental occlusion, impeding correct alignment of both dental arches (superior and inferior) and thus altering chewing and aesthetics. Some common alterations are prognatism, micrognatia, retrognatia, microgenia, protrusion and maxillary biprotrusion to name a few. This area also treats facial deformities due to fissures of the tissues which may affect the skin, muscles and bone. These fissures, clefts or gaps may present with different levels of depth or amplitude. The clearest example is cleft lip which may affect also the palate and nose. The fissures may also be present in the eyelids, the orbits, the nose, the cheeks, and the oral commisures. Due
to its complexity, craniofacial surgery requires the attention of specialists
of different disciplines, coordinated by an experimented plastic surgeon
who establishes a treatment program aimed at obtaining functional and aesthetic
reconstruction for the patient.
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