Masseteric muscle hypertrophy and its intraoral surgical correction

Seventeen patients with masseteric muscle hypertrophy (MMH) were surgically treated at the Maxillo-facial Surgery Clinic at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, during the past ten years. Etiology and symptomatology of MMH in these patients were recorded. A modified surgical procedure is presented which provides for the intraoral resection of a portion of the masseteric muscle, as well as the removal of the bone spurs on the lateral surface of the angle of the mandible. It is emphasized that the bony spurs must be removed down to cancellous bone for a pleasant esthetic result. The necessary postoperative treatment is described.