Interdisciplinary orthognathic treatment of high angle class III malocclusion.

For Class III adult patients, combined treatment strategy must be followed which includes either further dentoalveolar compensation or orthognathic surgery following decompensation of the teeth. This case report presents the interdisciplinary approach of a skeletal Class III malocclusion with increased vertical facial dimension, occlusal cant, extracted posterior teeth on the right upper and left lower segments, extensive restorations, and total circular crossbite. The orthodontic alignment took 10 months. LeFort 1 osteotomy with 7 mm advancement, 5 mm impaction on the left side, 3 mm impaction on the right side and 2 mm rotation for midline correction toward the left side, 3 mm set-back of mandible with bilateral sagittal split osteotomy were done. The surgery simulation, postoperative and 2-year follow-up records were compatible. The treatment was finalized in a straight profile with stable occlusion and good smile characteristics without airway disturbance.

Reconstruction of shallow upper buccal sulcus deformity secondary to cleft lip and palate repair.

Shallow upper buccal sulcus deformity, one of the secondary deformities after cleft lip-palate repair, causes both aesthetic and functional problems. This deformity also prevents or makes difficult orthodontic and prosthodontic procedures. An upper buccal sulcus deepening procedure was performed in 14 patients during the last 5 years. In 12 cases, premaxillary-based mucosal flaps were combined with one of the following: lip re-repair, Abbé flap, or bilateral buccal mucosal advancement flaps; in two cases, premaxilla was grafted with buccal mucosal graft together with bilateral buccal mucosal advancement flaps. The follow-up period was 2 to 5 years. Results were satisfactory for the surgeon, orthodontist, prosthodontist, and the patient. Upper buccal sulcus reconstruction with premaxillary thin mucosal flap or full-thickness mucosal graft combined with tissue-sparing techniques provides successful and durable results.

Improving quality of life with a team approach: a case report.

An adolescent female who presented amelogenesis imperfecta with severe anterior open bite, long face, facial asymmetry, high angle, and Class III skeletal pattern was treated with an interdisciplinary (orthodontics, orthognathic surgery, and prosthodontics) treatment approach. Presurgical orthodontic treatment was followed by surgical maxillary posterior impaction with anterior advancement and mandibular setback operation with vertical chin reduction and genioplasty. After the surgery, anterior ceramic laminate veneers and posterior full ceramic onlay-crowns were performed. The results showed that function and esthetics were achieved successfully with interdisciplinary collaboration.

Repair of large, anterior palatal fistulas using thin tongue flaps: long-term follow-up of 10 patients.

Anteriorly based, thin tongue flaps were used in 10 patients to close large, anterior palatal fistulas. All 10 flaps (100%) survived, and complete closure was obtained in all patients, with the exception of a recurrent fistula that occurred in 1 patient during maxillary expansion (10%). Another patient (10%) demonstrated postoperative bleeding that required formal hemostasis under general anesthesia. No other complications were encountered. The results of this series indicate that the tongue flap is a safe technique for closure of large, anterior palatal fistulas. This thin, long flap is also reliable for orthodontic maxillary expansion.

Aesthetic results of treatment of large alopecia with total scalp expansion.

In the last 7 years, 18 patients with large alopecia (approximately one-third of hair-bearing scalp) were treated with 31 tissue expansion procedures. In the previous 44 patients, with various degrees of alopecia treated with conventional tissue expansion technique, the major complication rates were as high as reported in the relevant literature. The clinical experience gained with these cases led us to make some modifications in the surgical technique. We applied some simple surgical maneuvers and Z-plasties to the last 18 cases with large alopecia. The major complication rate of 3.2% observed in this study is comparable to the lower complication rates of 6-12% reported in the literature for different degrees of alopecia. We believe that these simple modifications and meticulous approach improve the results of conventional treatment of alopecia with tissue expansion and flap. In this paper, details of the insertion technique and reconstructive procedures and their relevance to the success rate of the aesthetic treatment of the large alopecia are discussed.

One-stage approach to the correction of facial skeletal deformity with malocclusion.

A total of 40 patients with varying degrees of facial skeletal deformity and Class III malocclusion were treated by bimaxillary osteotomy combining maxillo-malar augmentation and/or osseous genioplasty at the same sitting by the author. In all patients, the maxillary advancement and mandibular set back were performed, using Le Fort I maxillary osteotomy and bilateral sagittal split osteotomy of the mandibular rami. In additional bimaxillary osteotomy, simultaneous maxillo-malar augmentation and genioplasty in 20 patients, genioplasty in 12 patients, maxillo-malar augmentation in eight patients, were performed to improve facial harmony. All patients were followed clinically and radiographically for at least 1 year and as much as 5 years after undergoing surgical correction. No cases with relapse or other major complications have been encountered up to now. There were, however, persisting unilateral inferior alveolar nerve damage in two patients, prolonged nerve anesthesia or hypoesthesia in four patients, and short period anesthesia or hypoesthesia in 11 patients, wide alar base in three patients and slight deviation of cartilage septum in two patients. There were no other complications encountered and an unexpected result. The facial skeletal deformity and malocclusion were always treated satisfactorily as patient and plastic surgeon's expectations in one-stage operation, without significant complications and morbidity.

Z-plasty and microvascular anastomosis.

An experimental study in rats was designed to determine the effects of z-plasty on the patency of microvascular anastomosis. Eighty Sprague-Dawley rats of mixed sex were divided into two groups. In all animals, the left carotid arteries were used. In the first group (n = 40), a single z-plasty was done at the anterior side of the carotid artery before end-to-end anastomosis was performed. In the second group (n = 40), end-to-end anastomosis with interrupted sutures was done. Patency and the appearance of the anastomosis were evaluated 1 hr later, on the seventh postoperative day, and at the end of the third postoperative week. There was no vasospasm demonstrated in the first group. Patency rates were 100 percent for both groups after 1 hr. On the seventh postoperative day, one anastomosis in the first group (patency rate, 97.5 percent) and two anastomoses in the second group had failed (patency rate, 95 percent). Patency rates were similar at the third week. The difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.5). Histologic examinations demonstrated that z-plasty did not cause any adverse effects at the vessel wall or at the anastomosis.

Osteogenic potential of infant dural grafts in different recipient beds.

An experimental study in adult rats was designed to test whether infant dura, when transplanted as an isograft to different recipient beds, can maintain its osteogenic potential. There was bone regeneration in more than 50% of the defects in all animals in which infant dura was present. There was minimal bone regeneration in defects in which adult dura remained alone and in which the dural defect repaired with adult dural graft. Ectopic bone did not form on the abdominal fascia or in the abdominal muscles from either infant or adult dural transplantation.

A simple method to harvest dural grafts.

A small rectangular wire loop was designed to harvest dural graft from rats. This loop was used successfully to take 40 dural grafts from 20 infant and 20 adult rats. The technique is presented in detail.