Le Fort I, II, III
The Mid-facial Skeleton
Made up of a considerable number of bones which are rarely, if ever, fractured in isolation
The structure is such that it is able to withstand considerable force from below, but the bones are easily fractured by relatively trivial forces applied from other directions
Analogous to a ‘matchbox’ sitting below and in front of a hard shell containing the brain and differs quite markedly from the rigid projection of the mandible below
Le Fort I Fractures
Low-level / Guerin type fractures
Horizontal fracture of the maxilla immediately above the teeth and palate
Piriform fossa across maxilla to pterygoid fissure
May occur as a single entity or in association with le fort II and III fractures
Not infrequently present in association with a downwardly displaced fracture of the zygomatic complex
Le Fort II Fractures Pyramidal or suprazygomatic fractures
Fracture extends from dorsum of nose, across medial walls of orbit across the maxilla below the zygomatic bone to the pterygomaxillary fissure
Le Fort III Fractures
High level or suprazygomatic fractures
The facial bones, including the zygomas are detached from the anterior cranial base
Fracture line extends from the dorsum of the nose and cribiform plate along the medial and up the lateral wall of the orbit to the ZF suture
