Abstract
Superior repositioning of the maxilla is required in cases with long face and/or open bite. In this paper, clinical evaluations of superior repositioning of the maxilla at Hamamatsu University Hospital are reported.
Patients and methods: Osteotomy was carried out in 277 cases over a period of 21 years. In those cases, superior repositioning was performed in 4 cases (3 females, 1 male). These cases were evaluated in terms of the amount and direction of the maxillary movement, and incidence of the relapse.
Results: In the four cases with open bite, the molar region was planned to be moved superiorly at 3-5mm, and the anterior region at 7--2mm. Le Fort I osteotomy was performed in all cases and the fragments were fixed with miniplates. During the operation, the major palatal artery was not damaged and partial necrosis was not observed in any case. The inferior concha did not interfere with superior repositioning. Postoperatively, no nasal symptoms were observed. The movement of the maxilla was evaluated as the movements of PNS or ANS. In the four cases, cases 1 and 2 showed superior repositioning almost as expected, but cases 3 and 4 showed no superior repositioning and a slight relapse.
