Usefulness of simultaneous pre-maxillary osteotomy and bone grafting in the bilateral clefts

Bilateral cleft lip and palate patients sometimes accompany with mal-positioned premaxilla, which adversely affect the upper lip morphology, especially widened naso-labial angle as well as functional deteriorations such as speech impairment though the fistula in between the alveolar segments. Usefulness of simultaneous premaxillary osteotomy and bone grafting was tested in respect of grafted bone resorption rate and required bone volume. Between January, 2001 and December, 2003, seven patients (seven years and eight months to 16 years old; average 9.7 +/- 2.87, 2 females and 5 males) with complete bilateral cleft lip and palate patients were performed the simultaneous premaxillary osteotomy and bone grafting, whereas in the same period of between January, 2001 and December, 2003, four patients (seven years and 11 months to 11 years old; average 9.2 +/- 1.01, 4 female and 6 males) with complete bilateral alveolus in order to compare cancellous bone volumes to relatively milder and less-protruded premaxilla. The bone grafting was performed in two-stage manner as one side and later, the other side. The bone volume required for cleft packing was significantly lower in osteotomized cases compared to those of non-osteotomized (3.5 +/- 0.69 mL vs. 5.6 +/- 0.70 mL, P < 0.01). There were twenty for non-osteotomized cases (10 bilateral clefts) and fourteen osteotomized (7 bilateral clefts) were evaluated. Overall, majority of both groups demonstrated the grade I (10/20 for non-osteotomized, 12/14 for osteotomized group). There was significant lower bone resorption rate in osteotomized group compared to the non-osteotomized group (1.1 +/- 0.36, 1.7 +/- 0.75, osteotimized, non-osteotomized, respectively, P < 0.05). The simultaneous premaxillary osteotomy and bone grafting is beneficial over staged bone grafting in bilateral cleft cases in requiring bone chio volume and subsequent bone resorption rate. The meticulous dissection and re-location of the premaxilla improves the overall lip morphology.