Fractures of the Facial Skeleton
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* Kenneth N. Dolynchuk

FRACTURES OF THE FACIAL SKELETON. Peter Banks and Andrew Brown. 196 pp. Illust. Butterworth-Heinemann, a division of Reed Educational and Professional Publishing Ltd., Oxford, UK, 2001. Paperbound. £27.40. ISBN 0-7236-1034-7

This text is a clearly written, well-organized, updated version of *Killey’s Fractures of the Middle Third of the Facial Skeleton* and *Fractures of the Mandible*. As such, it does well as a primer for the medical student to junior resident level of training. It is also useful for emergency room officers and general practitioners who treat facial trauma in the community.

The text follows a logical progression from general principles to assessment and management of maxillomandibular and craniofacial trauma. Complications and complex injuries are dealt with last.

Description of the patterns of etiology, which have changed over the years, is both interesting and informative. For trauma specialists and medical students a review of trauma management is presented before the specific treatment of maxillofacial injury. The references are extensive, spanning over 20 years, but they are not exhaustive enough for the specialist. Inclusion of Jackson’s classification of orbitozygomatic complex fractures would have been helpful, as well as Manson’s classification of naso-orbital techniques. Greater focus on the use of CT as the current method for the diagnosis for facial fractures would have been valuable.

The tables and diagrams are clear and are used effectively to illustrate the authors’ points.

The sections on clinical diagnosis and assessment and on dental management are extremely valuable to practitioners who are not trained in the field. Unfortunately the authors’ point of view with respect to rigid internal fixation is overstated for those trained in the AO/ASIF school.

On balance, this book would be a good addition to a medical school library or as a personal reference handbook for the trainee in maxillofacial surgery.