Changes during and following total maxillary osteotomy (le Fort I procedure): a cephalometric study

Abstract

Profile radiographs of 16 adult patients before, subsequent to, and one year following a total maxillary osteotomy were studied. The purpose of the study was to evaluate (1) osseous stability, (2) the relation between hard and soft tissue changes, and (3) the predictability of soft tissue changes on the basis of operative changes. The displacement of the maxilla in relation to the cranial base was expressed as a translation and a rotation. Correlation and stepwise regression analyses were the statistical methods applied. Conclusions: Hard tissue changes were stable in the horizontal plane whereas maxillary intrusion continued following the operation. The ratio between hard and soft tissue changes was low for nose and subnasal structures whereas the upper lip seemed to follow the underlying structures. Soft tissue changes had a low predictability when related to x and y coordinates of the underlying hard tissue but were markedly influenced by the rotational changes with maxillary plane.