Immunohistochemical Analysis on Cortex-to-Cortex Healing After Mandibular Vertical Ramus Osteotomy: A Preliminary Study.

PURPOSE: The present study analyzed the expression of specific cytokines in the transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß superfamily postoperatively after mandibular vertical ramus osteotomy (VRO). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four beagle dogs were enrolled and euthanized at 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks postoperatively for immunohistochemical analysis using 6 specific antibodies (bone morphogenetic protein [BMP]-2/4, BMP-7, TGF-ß2, TGF-ß3, matrix metalloproteinase-3, and vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF]). The results from the surgical site and control (adjacent area) were compared. RESULTS: Generalized upregulation of BMP-2/4 was observed in all healing periods, and the strongest expression of BMP-7 was observed at 1 week postoperatively. The strongest expression of TGF-ß2 was observed at 8 weeks with increasing pattern. The strong expression of TGF-ß3 was observed at 1 and 4 weeks, with the strongest expression of VEGF at 1 week, with a decreasing pattern. No notable uptake was detected with the 6 specific antibodies in the adjacent bone (control). CONCLUSIONS: The absence of internal fixation after VRO led to dynamic healing with a specific expression pattern of BMP-7 and TGF-ß2. The anatomic factors, including sufficient preexisting vascularity, led to the earlier expression pattern of VEGF.

Nasal Soft Tissue Change Following Bimaxillary Orthognathic Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to identify the correlation between maxillary movement and nasal soft tissue changes on three-dimensional reconstructed cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images after Le Fort I osteotomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors also investigate the long-term change of alar base width (ABW) to determine the effect of cinch suture. The authors retrospectively studied 52 subjects (14 males and 38 females) who were treated by bimaxillary orthognathic surgery including Le Fort I osteotomy and mandibular ramus surgery. The landmarks and planes were established on three-dimensional reconstructed CBCT images. The authors measured each parameters preoperatively, 1 month postoperatively, and 1 year postoperatively. RESULTS: There was no significant correlation between the horizontal movement of A-point and the widening of ABW (P < 0.038), nor was there a significant correlation between the vertical movement of A-point and the change of ABW (P < 0.61). There was no significant correlation between horizontal and vertical movement of anterior nasal spine and the widening of ABW, nor was there a significant correlation between the nasal tip length and the vector of maxillary movement. CONCLUSION: There was no significant correlation between the ABW widening and the vector of surgical maxillary movement. The effect and stability of the alar base cinch suture is difficult to determine and require further investigation.

Transport distraction osteogenesis combined with orthodontic treatment in a patient with unilateral temporomandibular joint ankylosis.

Temporomandibular joint ankylosis manifests a range of clinical characteristics dependent upon the age of onset, the affected side, and the severity. When it occurs during development, mandibular growth is affected, resulting in severe retrusion or asymmetry as well as limitation of mandibular movements. Progressive asymmetric mandibular growth in unilateral ankylosis causes canting of the occlusal plane. In this case report, we present a successful temporomandibular joint reconstruction using transport distraction osteogenesis combined with camouflage orthodontic treatment for occlusal canting correction of a patient with unilateral temporomandibular joint ankylosis and severe facial asymmetry.

Major factors contributing to anterior and posterior relapse after intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy.

The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate the factors contributing to mandibular relapse after intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy (IVRO) while controlling for possible confounders. Forty-seven patients who underwent bimaxillary surgery were divided into three groups according to the direction of horizontal mandibular relapse: a stable group (group S), a posterior relapse group (group P), and an anterior relapse group (group A). Lateral cephalograms were analysed 1 month before and at 7 days and 12 months after surgery. One month before surgery, the pogonion in group A was positioned about 13 mm more anteriorly than in group P (P < 0.05). Immediately after surgery, the mandibles in groups A and S had moved about 6 mm more posteriorly than in group P. At 12 months, both the mandibles (point B) and the maxillae (point A) had moved posteriorly in group P (P < 0.05). A multivariate linear regression analysis showed that the amount of setback was the one key factor predicting postoperative mandibular changes 12 months after IVRO. As the amount of setback decreased, mandibular posterior horizontal relapse increased after IVRO. These findings suggest that the amount of setback can be a key factor predicting postoperative mandibular relapse.

Intraoral Vertical Ramus Osteotomy Results in Good Long-Term Mandibular Stability in Patients With Mandibular Prognathism and Anterior Open Bite.

PURPOSE: Few studies have evaluated the outcomes of intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy (IVRO) for the correction of skeletal Class III malocclusion with an anterior open bite and the potential for postoperative relapse. Therefore, this study evaluated the stability of outcomes of IVRO for mandibular prognathism with and without an anterior open bite. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included consecutive patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion with (AOB group) and without (NAOB group) an anterior open bite who underwent IVRO at Yonsei Dental Hospital (Seoul, Korea). Lateral cephalograms were analyzed for predictor (open bite, yes or no) and outcome (horizontal and vertical relapse in the mandible) variables before and 7 days, 1 year, and 2 years after surgery. Other variables included the patients' demographic characteristics. Data were analyzed using independent t tests, repeated measures analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: The 2 groups (n = 15 each) were matched for baseline demographic characteristics. During the 2-year postoperative period, anterior and superior mandibular movements were observed in the NAOB group, whereas posterior and superior movements were observed in the AOB group. However, there were no meaningful intergroup differences in horizontal and vertical relapses of the mandible at all time points, although the amount of postoperative inferior relapse increased with a decrease in the amount of initial overbite. CONCLUSIONS: IVRO for the correction of skeletal Class III malocclusion resulted in good postoperative stability over time, regardless of the presence of a preoperative open bite, although the amount of postoperative inferior relapse showed a weak negative correlation with the initial overbite. Thus, IVRO can be a clinically acceptable treatment for skeletal Class III malocclusion with an anterior open bite.

Orthognathic surgery and temporomandibular joint symptoms.

The aim of this article is to review temporomandibular joint symptoms as well as the effects of orthognathic surgery(OGS) on temporomandibular joint(TMJ). The causes of temporomandibular joint disease(TMD) are multifactorial, and the symptoms of TMD manifest as a limited range of motion of mandible, pain in masticatory muscles and TMJ, Joint noise (clicking, popping, or crepitus), myofascial pain, and other functional limitations. Treatment must be started based on the proper diagnosis, and almost symptoms could be subsided by reversible options. Minimally invasive options and open arthroplasty are also available following reversible treatment when indicated. TMD manifesting in a variety of symptoms, also can apply abnormal stress to mandibular condyles and affect its growth pattern of mandible. Thus, adaptive developmental changes on mandibular condyles and post-developmental degenerative changes of mandibular condyles can create alteration on facial skeleton and occlusion. The changes of facial skeleton in DFD patients following OGS have an impact on TMJ, masticatory musculature, and surrounding soft tissues, and the changes of TMJ symptoms. Maxillofacial surgeons must remind that any surgical procedures involving mandibular osteotomy can directly affect TMJ symptoms, thus pre-existing TMJ symptoms and diagnoses should be considered prior to treatment planning and OGS.

Unilateral mandibular advancement with bilateral intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy.

Intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy (IVRO) is an effective surgical procedure that is used for the correction of mandibular prognathism. However, application of IVRO for mandibular advancement has been limited because of the instability of the proximal segments caused by the gap between the distal and proximal segments. We report a case of unilateral mandibular advancement with bilateral IVRO for the correction of facial asymmetry. This case shows possible application of bilateral IVRO for unilateral mandibular advancement without any means of fixation.

Comparative analysis of the amount of postoperative drainage after intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy and sagittal split ramus osteotomy.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare the amount of postoperative drainage via closed suction drainage system after intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy (IVRO) and sagittal split ramus osteotomy (SSRO). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We planned a retrospective cohort study of 40 patients selected from a larger group who underwent orthognathic surgery from 2007 to 2013. Mean age (range) was 23.95 (16 to 35) years. Patients who underwent bilateral IVRO or SSRO were categorized into group I or group II, respectively, and each group consisted of 20 patients. Closed suction drainage system was inserted in mandibular osteotomy sites to decrease swelling and dead space, and records of drainage amount were collected. The data were compared and analyzed with independent t-test. RESULTS: The closed suction drainage system was removed at 32 hours postoperatively, and the amount of drainage was recorded every 8 hours. In group I, the mean amount of drainage was 79.42 mL in total, with 31.20 mL, 19.90 mL, 13.90 mL, 9.47 mL, and 4.95 mL measured at 0, 8, 16, 24, and 32 hours postoperatively, respectively. In group II, the mean total amount of drainage was 90.11 mL, with 30.25 mL, 25.75 mL, 19.70 mL, 8.50 mL, and 5.91 mL measured at 0, 8, 16, 24, and 32 hours postoperatively, respectively. Total amount of drainage from group I was less than group II, but there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P=0.338). There was a significant difference in drainage between group I and group II only at 16 hours postoperatively (P=0.029). CONCLUSION: IVRO and SSRO have different osteotomy design and different extent of medullary exposure; however, our results reveal that there is no remarkable difference in postoperative drainage of blood and exudate.

Cavernous sinus thrombosis caused by a dental infection: a case report.

Cavernous sinus thrombosis not only presents with constitutional symptoms including fever, pain and swelling but also with specific findings such as proptosis, chemosis, periorbital swelling, and cranial nerve palsies. It is known to occur secondary to the spread of paranasal sinus infections in the nose, ethmoidal and sphenoidal sinuses. However, paranasal sinus infection of dental origin is rare. The following is a case of cavernous sinus thrombosis due to the spread of an abscess in the buccal and pterygomandibular spaces via buccal mucosal laceration.

Fracture of the clivus as an unusual complication of LeFort I osteotomy: case report.

LeFort I osteotomy is a standard technique for the surgical correction of dentofacial deformities. Despite its low morbidity, it can lead to various complications at the base of the skull. We report the case of a fractured clivus as an unusual complication.

Postoperative stability for surgery-first approach using intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy: 12 month follow-up.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the postoperative stability of the surgery-first approach using intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy (IVRO). We retrospectively studied a sample derived from the patients who were treated by the surgery-first approach using a LeFort I osteotomy and IVRO for correction of class III dentofacial deformity from 2008 to 2012. Lateral cephalograms taken preoperatively and 2 days, 6 months, and 12 months postoperatively were traced, and the skeletal and dental variables at different time points were analysed. The study sample comprised 37 subjects, mean (SD) age 23 (4) years. The mean (SD) total duration of treatment including postoperative orthodontics was 14 (6) months, and surgical movement of the maxillary A point was 0.75 (1.3)mm anteriorly, and 0.21 (1.79)mm superiorly. The surgical change in the position of the maxillary first molar was 1.01 (1.57)mm superiorly. The mean (SD) movement of mandible was 11.15 (5.4)mm posteriorly at pogonion and 1.02 (1.79)mm inferiorly at menton. There were no significant change in maxillary skeletal variables during the first year postoperative period. The surgical relapse of mandible at pogonion was 0.63 (2.31) mm anteriorly (p=0.01), however, the relapse in superior direction at menton was 2.86 (1.39) mm with statistical significance (p=0.01). The total duration of orthodontic treatment with surgery-first was roughly 5 months shorter than conventional preoperative and postoperative orthodontic treatment. The surgery-first approach using IVRO is effective and predictable, and shortens the overall duration of treatment. Anterior relapse of the mandible was less than 1mm, and increased superior relapse can be compensated for with appropriate preoperative planning to provide a reliable outcome. This study was limited to 12 months' follow-up, and a long term follow-up study is indicated.

The stability following advancement genioplasty with biodegradable screw fixation.

The purpose of this study was to compare postoperative stability using biodegradable screws with that of metal plates for fixation of advancement genioplasty. We studied patients who had advancement genioplasty alone or at the same time as other orthognathic surgery including mandibular setback. We assessed the lateral cephalographs at different time points (preoperatively, and 7 days, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months postoperatively). A total of 54 patients were enrolled and 27 patients were assigned to each group. The position of pogonion was stable 12 months postoperatively, and the amount of skeletal advancement was reflected in soft tissue close to 100%. There were no clinical differences between biodegradable screws and conventional metal plates used for fixation. Biodegradable fixation for advancement genioplasty is a good option for patients who would require a second operation for removal of the plates.

Anatomic study to determine a safe surgical reference point for mandibular ramus osteotomy.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify a surgical reference point on the mandibular ramus that can be used during ramus osteotomy to prevent injury to the inferior alveolar nerve. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 125 subjects' mandibles were analyzed and compared on a three-dimensional (3D) model constructed from computed tomography (CT). 25 volunteer subjects with normal class I occlusion (group I, control), 50 consecutive subjects (25 females and 25 males) diagnosed with mandibular retrognathism (group II), and 50 consecutive subjects (25 females and 25 males) with prognathism (group III) were included. This study created a landmark (the midwaist point) at the halfway point on a horizontal plane between the most concave points on the anterior and posterior borders of mandibular ramus, with the vertical plane bisecting the horizontal plane. The midwaist point was compared to other anatomic landmarks including antilingula, lingula, and mandibular foramen for correlation. RESULTS: The distance from the midwaist point to lingula and mandibular foramen along the horizontal plane was not significantly different among three groups. Lingula and mandibular foramen were mostly located within 2 mm posterior of the midwaist point, whereas the locations of lingula and mandibular foramen along the vertical plane to the midwaist point were highly variable. CONCLUSION: The midwaist point is an excellent intraoperative reference point that can help surgeons to identify the position of the lingual and the mandibular foramen, thus preventing inferior alveolar nerve injury.

A simple classification of facial asymmetry by TML system.

This study proposes a system for classifying facial asymmetry with accompanying mandibular prognathism to facilitate choice of surgical method. We examined hard and soft tissue measurements obtained from posterior-anterior cephalometric radiographs and clinical facial photographs of 153 patients (86 male, 67 female), classifying them according to menton deviation with transverse asymmetry (T), maxillary cant (M), and lip cant (L). The T-group is subclassified according to direction of transverse asymmetry (H). Statistical analysis of menton deviation, cant and transverse asymmetry was performed for each group. The various relationships observed among the groups indicate that most cases (85%) were not effectively correctable using conventional surgical methods. As such, the authors believe that analysing facial asymmetry in terms of the classification system presented in this study and employing surgical methods appropriate to each case will help achieve more harmonious aesthetic outcomes.

Oral foregut cyst in the ventral tongue: a case report.

An oral foregut cyst is a rare congenital choristoma lined by the respiratory and/or gastrointestinal epithelium. The exact etiology has not been fully identified, but it is thought to arise from misplaced primitive foregut. This lesion develops asymptomatically but sometimes causes difficulty in swallowing and pronunciation depending on its size. Thus, the first choice of treatment is surgical excision. Surgeons associated with head and neck pathology should include the oral foregut cyst in the differential diagnosis for ranula, dermoid cyst, thyroglossal duct cyst and lymphangioma in cases of pediatric head and neck lesions.

Osteonecrosis of the jaw related to everolimus: a case report.

Antiresorptive agent-related osteonecrosis of the jaw results in appreciable morbidity in affected patients. Nowadays many physicians prescribe an antiangiogenic agent for the management of malignant metastases. Everolimus is a serine-threonine kinase that acts as an inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin, which results in reduced growth of cells, angiogenesis, and survival of cells. We report the first case to our knowledge of osteonecrosis of the jaw that seemed to result from the additive effect of everolimus.

Remodelling pattern of the ramus on submentovertex cephalographs after intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy.

The aim of this study was to evaluate postoperative changes in proximal segments and condyles on the transverse plane after intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy. This is a retrospective study that included 200 subjects operated on, from 2003 to 2010, from whom we compared preoperative and postoperative (7 days, and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months) submentovertex radiographs. Postoperative positional changes in the condyles showed a mean (SD) of 15.05 (8.97)° lateral rotation, which slowly returned towards the original position. However, 4.53 (6.03)° lateral rotation remained on the postoperative radiographs at 1 year. There were no remarkable differences in intercondylar distance at any given time interval, which showed pure rotation of condyles without any bodily shift. The length of horizontal overlapping was also increased after operation, and was later decreased by 48% on postoperative radiographs at 1 year through the remodelling process. Condyles had rotated laterally without a lateral shifting movement only after intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy. Further studies to evaluate the physiological effects of rotational movement of the condyles after the operation in patients with symptoms in the temporomandibular joint are indicated.

Postoperative stability following bilateral intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy based on amount of setback.

Our aim was to evaluate the postoperative stability associated with differing degrees of mandibular setback and their relations after intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy (IVRO). We planned a retrospective cohort study of 94 patients (mean age (range) 23 (18-46) years) selected from a larger group who had been diagnosed with mandibular prognathism with or without facial asymmetry and who had mandibular setback by IVR osteotomy from 2004 to 2009. The preoperative, 7-day, and 12-month postoperative lateral cephalographs were measured to find out the degree of movement, and the vertical and horizontal positions of menton and pogonion were compared at different time points to measure stability. The mean (SD) setback was 10.5 (5.1) mm, with 0.8 (1.1) posterior relapse at 12 months. The mean surgical change of menton vertically was 3.0 (3.0) mm superiorly, with an additional 1.3 (1.05) mm at 12 months. The amount of posterior relapse was less as the amount of setback increased but not significantly so. The amount of setback therefore has minimal effects on anterior relapse, and cannot be considered singly as a variant that affects the degree of stability. The risk of anterior relapse is low even with a substantial degree of mandibular setback, so overcorrection is not necessary with the IVR osteotomy.

Surgery-first approach on patients with temporomandibular joint disease by intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy.

Orthognathic surgery followed by postsurgical orthodontics without presurgical orthodontic treatment, known as the surgery-first approach (SFA), has become favored recently. The advantages of this surgical approach include total treatment time reduction, psychological benefit from a limited duration of unesthetic orthodontic appliances, and a more effective orthodontic movement of the dentition postoperatively through a regional acceleratory phenomenon. SFA has been previously described in the literature as a surgical technique with Le Fort I osteotomy and sagittal split ramus osteotomy (SSRO), which helps maintain postoperative occlusion with rigid fixation; however, patients with temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) are better candidates for the intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy (IVRO) surgical technique instead of SSRO. The authors report 2 cases with excellent surgical outcomes and resolution of TMD symptoms on patients with mandibular prognathism via SFA using IVRO technique.