Patterns and Etiological Analysis of Zygomaticomaxillary Complex (ZMC) Fractures in a Military Tertiary Care Hospital, Karachi

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the patterns and underlying causes of Zygomaticomaxillary Complex (ZMC) fractures in patients presenting to the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery department at PNS Shifa Hospital, Karachi. Methods: 93 patients between the ages of 18 and 61 participated in a descriptive cross-sectional study that was carried out between April 2024 and April 2025. To determine fracture patterns and etiologies, patients received clinical and CT-based evaluations. SPSS v25 was used to examine information on age, gender, socioeconomic status, education, fracture type and site, and injury causation. To determine significance, the chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used. Results: The average age was 35.69 ± 10.72. The majority of patients were male (60.2%) and between the ages of 18 and 30 (37.6%). Road traffic incidents accounted for 29% of fractures, while falls accounted for 28%. The two anatomical areas most impacted were the zygomatico-frontal suture (22.6%) and the zygomatico-facial foramen (21.5%). The proportion of atypical (50.5%) and conventional (49.5%) fracture types was almost equal. Significant correlations between fracture patterns and age group and etiology were found by statistical analysis (p < 0.05). Conclusion: ZMC fractures commonly resulted from RTAs and falls, particularly in young males. Enhanced public safety and preventive strategies, including traffic regulations and helmet use, could mitigate these injuries.