CLASSIFICATION OF POSTOPERATIVE DEFECTS AND DEFORMITIES OF THE MIDDLE ZONE OF THE FACE

Despite significant advances in the rehabilitation of patients with defects and deformities of the middle zone of the face, there is still controversy regarding the preferred treatment methods. To facilitate understanding of the scope and complexity of the defect and the choice of treatment, various classification systems have been proposed, each reflecting different practical approaches to the problem, but most have not been widely used. The article describes the classification of postoperative defects and deformities of the middle zone of the face on the basis of clinical and functional studies and long-term clinical experience. The classifications proposed by the author make it possible to structure defects after any volume of resection of the middle zone of the face, reliably establish a clinical diagnosis, determine the characteristic features of the defect in order to select the necessary prosthetic structures for full anatomical and functional restoration of the lost area and cosmetic rehabilitation of the appearance of the face.