[Perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis in maxillofacial surgery].

In surgical interventions in the maxillofacial area the intraoral approach often is chosen for technical and esthetic reasons. Because of the inevitable contamination of the surgical wounds with the facultative pathogenic mixed flora of the oral cavity, these operations are exposed to an increased risk of postoperative wound infections. Therefore, a perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis is justified. In a prospective, controlled open study in 112 patients the effect of a preoperative one-shot prophylaxis with cefuroxime was compared with that of a short-term prophylaxis for 48 hours. The low rates of postoperative infectious complications in both groups (3.5 resp. 4.5%) verify the efficacy of the perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis in head and neck surgery. For microbiological, practical and economic aspects however, the one-shot-prophylaxis should be preferred.