Le Fort I, bilateral comminution

A simple fracture line extends from the piriform aperture through the lateral maxillary and lateral nasal walls to the posterior region and will often include a segment of pterygoid plates.

These fractures display the highest degree of maxillary mobility of all Le Fort fracture types. They can occur without defect (ie, fragments can be affixed to the plate(s)), or with defects in which cases the fragments cannot be used for fracture fixation and buttressing.

This illustration shows a Le Fort II fracture with bilateral comminution (without defect).

This illustration shows a Le Fort II fracture with bilateral comminution with defect.

3-D CT scans show a Le Fort I fracture in the same patient.