Vascular Complications in Orthognathic Surgery: A Literature Review

Abstract

The aim of this literature review is to outline bleeding complications in orthognathic surgery, to define their clinical presentation in terms of timing and frequency, and to eventually highlight indications for prevention and management. This literature review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews. To fulfill the research enquiries, two electronic databases (PubMed and Scopus) were searched using the PICO protocol and relevant keywords related to bleeding in orthognathic surgery. A total of 130 scientific articles written in English were retrieved from PubMed and Scopus, without any time limitation. After removing duplicates and excluding ineligible records, 22 papers were excluded. Finally, 25 articles were included in the study. Vascular complications following orthognathic surgery, although rare, can lead to severe and potentially life-threatening outcomes. A thorough knowledge of the maxillofacial district vascular anatomy and intraoperative awareness is key to managing these complications effectively, such as maintaining a high suspicion during the postoperative period, due to the variability in clinical presentation and timing.