LE FORT FRACTURES: CONTEMPORARY DIAGNOSIS, CLASSIFICATION, AND SURGICAL MANAGEMENT — A NARRATIVE REVIEW

Le Fort fractures are high-energy midfacial injuries whose classic three-level description increasingly fails to capture modern fracture morphology. This narrative review synthesised PubMed-indexed literature published between 2021 and 2026 on the epidemiology, diagnosis, surgical management and outcomes of Le Fort fractures. Contemporary computed tomography series show that ideal, symmetrical Le Fort lines occur in fewer than one in ten patients, while mixed, unilateral and incomplete patterns predominate, and concomitant orbital or zygomatic fractures accompany roughly a quarter to a third of operated cases. Occlusion-driven open reduction and internal fixation of the facial buttresses remains the standard, with selective rather than routine intermaxillary fixation. Short-term complication rates after surgery are low, whereas mortality in Le Fort III injuries is driven by skull base, cranial vault and cervical vascular injury. Virtual surgical planning, navigation and structured CT reporting are improving precision. Individualised, CT-based and multidisciplinary care should replace treatment guided by the pattern label alone.