Category Ranking
98%
Total Visits
921
Avg Visit Duration
2 minutes
Citations
20
Article Abstract
Background: Craniofacial surgeons face significant medico-legal risks due to high procedural complexity and patient expectations. Despite extensive studies on plastic surgery litigation, the specific trends and risk factors for craniofacial malpractice lawsuits remain poorly understood. This study aims to analyze litigation trends, outcomes, and contributing factors in craniofacial surgery over 4 decades.
Methods: A retrospective review of the Westlaw and LexisNexis legal databases was conducted for lawsuits involving craniofacial surgery between 1981 and 2024. Cases explicitly involving craniofacial surgery were included. Data were extracted on patient demographics, surgeon characteristics, allegations, procedural details, geographic distribution, and legal outcomes. Descriptive statistics were conducted.
Results: A total of 49 lawsuits across 23 states were identified, with the South accounting for the highest proportion of cases (31%). Most plaintiffs were male (55%), and 57% were adults. The most litigated craniofacial procedures included palatoplasty (n=8), cranial vault reconstruction (n=7), facial fracture repair (n=6), and mandibular reconstruction (n=4). Allegations involved deviation from standard of care (51%) and physical injury (22%). Although the majority of cases were either dismissed or resulted in defendant verdicts (59.2%), 30.6% resulted in financial settlements or plaintiff verdicts, with an average payout of $2.5 million ($15,381.31-$19,283,579). Temporal analysis revealed increasing litigation over time.
Conclusion: Litigation in craniofacial surgery has increased significantly, with high financial and professional implications for surgeons. Strengthening adherence to clinical guidelines, improving informed consent processes, and fostering patient trust may mitigate risk. Further research is needed to explore international trends and the impact of evolving legislation.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/SCS.0000000000011216 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Endoscopic Spring Mediated Cranioplasty for Management of Coronal Craniosynostosis.
J Craniofac Surg
September 2025
Division of Plastic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford.
Background: Spring-mediated cranioplasty (SMC) is a safe and effective treatment for craniosynostosis. The authors describe the largest cohort of endoscopic SMC for coronal craniosynostosis to date, highlighting the evolution of their technique.
Methods: The authors retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent endoscopic coronal suturectomy and SMC between 2017 and 2023.
Finite Element Analysis of Mandibular Distraction Osteogenesis With a New Partially Bioabsorbable Distractor.
J Craniofac Surg
September 2025
Department of Craniomaxillofacial Surgery, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Plastic Surgery Hospital, Beijing, China.
Objective: We designed a new distractor pairing a bioabsorbable upper fixing plate fixed by bioabsorbable screws with a traditional titanium distractor to simplify the second surgery removing the distractor after mandibular distraction osteogenesis. The present study aims to evaluate its biomechanical properties using finite element method.
Materials And Methods: Ten computer-aided designed models simulating mandibles of 5 patients under 2 working conditions, the instance of distraction and mastication, were produced.
A Retrospective Review of Craniosynostosis Reconstruction at a Community Children's Hospital Compared With Academic Centers.
J Craniofac Surg
September 2025
Department of Pediatric Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Children's Hospital Colorado.
Background: Craniosynostosis repair is traditionally performed at high-volume academic centers with multidisciplinary teams. Access barriers in rural or suburban regions raise the question of whether comparable outcomes can be achieved and if this surgery can be performed safely in community settings.
Objective: To evaluate the safety and perioperative outcomes of cranial vault reconstruction for craniosynostosis performed at a community-based children's hospital and compare these outcomes to those reported at academic institutions.
Clinical comparison of two surgical techniques in obtaining complete root coverage of single RT1 gingival recessions.
Clin Oral Investig
September 2025
Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine & Dentistry, "G. D'Annunzio" University, Via Dei Vestini 31, Chieti, Italy.
Objectives: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of the full-thickness palatal graft technique (FTPGT) and the coronally advanced flap with subepithelial connective tissue graft (CAF + SCTG) in achieving complete root coverage (CRC) in single gingival recessions (GR).
Methods: Forty healthy patients with a single RT1 GR were randomized into two groups: 20 treated with CAF + SCTG and 20 with FTPGT. Baseline and 12-month measurements of GR, keratinized tissue width (KTW), probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), and gingival thickness (GT) were recorded.
Progress in immunoregulatory mechanisms during distraction osteogenesis.
Front Bioeng Biotechnol
August 2025
Department of Orthopaedic and Reconstructive Surgery/Pediatric Orthopaedics, South China Hospital, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.
Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is an endogenous bone tissue engineering technique that harnesses the regenerative potential of bone and has been widely applied in limb lengthening, bone defect repair, and craniofacial reconstruction. The DO procedure consists of three distinct phases: the latency phase, the distraction phase, and the consolidation phase, each characterized by unique biological processes. In recent years, increasing attention has been directed toward the role of the immune system during DO.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF