Usefulness of the Blink Reflex Study as a Preoperative Evaluation in the Orbitozygomatic Complex Fracture.

Kang, Dae Il; Park, Sang Woo; Choi, Jae Hoon

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Original Article

Journal of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons 2010;37(6):779-782.
Published online November 1, 2010.

Usefulness of the Blink Reflex Study as a Preoperative Evaluation in the Orbitozygomatic Complex Fracture.

Dae Il Kang, Sang Woo Park, Jae Hoon Choi

¹Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Changwon Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Changwon, Korea. diligent78@hanmail.net
²Yeosu Public Health Center, Yeosu, Korea.

Abstract

PURPOSE
As the evaluation of the preoperative sensibility in the orbitozygomatic complex fracture, used by most surgeons, depends on the patient's subjective judgements, it is difficult to make generalization and to use it as an objective evaluation method. We used the blink reflex study to objectively evaluate injury to the infraorbital nerve. METHODS: From December 2008 to November 2009, a total of 16 patients underwent the patient's subjective report on sensory symptoms and the blink reflex study preoperatively. Among patients having orbitozygomatic complex fracture of type III or more according to Henderson's classification and simultaneously suspected as being injured along the infraorbital nerve pathway, patients who had difficulty in checking preoperative sensibility and said 'normal sensibility' were selected as candidates.
RESULTS
Fifteen patients showed abnormal R1 on the fracture side. These results suggested that most of patients had injury to the infraorbital nerve.
CONCLUSION
Contrary to the existing tests, the blink reflex study is a useful diagnostic tool in reflecting injury to the infraorbital nerve objectively.

Keywords: Blink reflex study; Orbitozygomatic complex fracture

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