Michael Rasse

A close look at the clinical and functional outcomes of condylar head fractures stresses the need for a surgical approach in dislocated fractures of the condylar head, especially if more than two-thirds of the head is displaced. The favorable results of operated diacapitular fractures have been reported and also compared with the functional outcomes in conservatively treated cases (Rasse, 1993, 2000; Kermer, Undt, and Rasse, 1998; Neff, Kolk, and Horch, 2000; Neff at al. 2002, 2005; Hlawitschka, Loukota, and Eckelt, 2005). Safe procedures to guarantee the survival of the proximal fragment, good mobility (including disk mobility), and preservation of the facial nerve have been described by these authors.