Le fort fractures

Abstract

In 1901, René Le Fort published his experimental findings of facial fracture patterns. His studies involved subjecting cadaver skulls to various forces of impact and analyzing the fractures that resulted. He described that fractures tended to occur in characteristic locations, which he noted corresponded to relatively weak areas of the facial skeleton [1]. With these fi ndings, he introduced the term “pillars of resistance,” which represent the strongest areas of the facial skeleton, and the fracture patterns he found occurred between these pillars. His report outlined three patterns of fractures with each bearing his name followed by a number, I, II, or III, depending on their location.