[Reduction gonioplasty for the prominent mandibular angle. Report of 38 cases]

The one-stage curved osteotomy of the mandibular angle without resection of the masseter was used for 38 patients suffering from prominent mandibular angle from december 1996 to november 1997 at our department of plastic and cranio-maxillo-facial surgery. The preoperative strategy and surgical procedure are described. These 38 cases had a low rate of complications and usually good cosmetic results. Technical refinements that have improved the results are analyzed. At the present time the one-stage curved osteotomy of the mandibular angle is a simple and more reliable method for the surgical correction of the prominent mandibular angle, which is preferred by us to the other techniques: resection of the masseter alone or with straight cutting of the mandibular angle, simple straight cutting of the mandibular angle, multistaged osteotomy of the mandibular angle.