STABILITY OF SAGITTAL SPLIT OSTEOTOMIES - A COMPARISON OF 3 STABILIZATION TECHNIQUES

The objective of this study was to retrospectively evaluate stability of mandibular advancement after bilateral sagittal split osteotomies w ere performed. Three different fixation and immobilization protocols w ere examined. Thirty-three patients were evaluated with preoperative, immediate postoperative, and long-term (mean, 13 months) lateral cepha lometric radiographs. The patients were divided into three groups: gro up 1 (n = 10) had nonrigid internal fixation and 6 weeks of maxilloman dibular fixation, group 2 (n = 12) had rigid internal fixation and imm ediate postoperative function, and group 3 (n = 11) had rigid internal fixation with maxillomandibular fixation for a mean of 14 days. Group 3 had the least amount of sagittal and vertical relapse. Differences in sagittal relapse were statistically significant between groups 1 an d 3. Group 2 demonstrated greater sagittal relapse than did group 3, a lthough the result was not statistically significant. This study sugge sts that the use of rigid internal fixation with a period of maxilloma ndibular fixation appears to be more stable than nonrigid internal fix ation with maxillomandibular fixation or rigid internal fixation witho ut maxillomandibular fixation.