Complications in craniofacial surgery: The Turkish experience

The records of 71 patients who underwent 75 consecutive craniofacial proced ures involving a transcranial component have been analyzed retrospectively to assess the incidence and type of complications encountered during the 14 -year period of 1985 to 1998 at Ege University Hospital, Department of Plas tic and Reconstructive Surgery. The results were compared with those of sim ilar reports from other craniofacial centers. Operations were classified in to six groups according to their type to evaluate effectively their complic ation rates. Complications were also graded in terms of their severity. Ser ious complications were seen in 12 patients (16.8%), whereas life-threateni ng complications were seen in 6 patients (8, 4). The mortality rate was 2.7 %. It is determined that complication incidence was notably higher in the g roup that underwent monobloc frontofacial advancement. A decrease in the ra te of serious complications occurred with increased experience with the sur gery. The results of our study indicate that although craniofacial surgery carries an inherent risk for significant complications, the risk can be min imized and the rate of mortality and major complications kept to an accepta ble level by a careful and experienced craniofacial team.