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.