Open Management of Condylar Head Fractures. The First 50 Cases: What Have We Learnt and Where Are We Going?

The first published UK series of open management of intracapsular condylar head fractures — and a new classification system. These are the most technically demanding fractures in mandibular trauma. Most surgeons never open them. This paper records a single senior surgeon's first 50 cases at the Royal London Hospital Major Trauma Centre, including the learning curve, governance model, functional outcomes, and the Royal London Classification System for condylar head fractures — the first to incorporate disc status as a treatment-guiding variable.