Surgical treatment of mandibular retrusion by a post-condylar cartilage graft

Mandibular advance in 22 retrognathic adolescent patients (median age 15.7 months) was carried out using a post-condylar graft of lyophilised cartilage. The post-surgical changes were evaluated by a computer-aided digitisation programme after a mean follow-up period of 23 months. Horizontal relapse of the anterior mandible was 3.45% overall, with a corresponding increase of 6.13% in the vertical height of the anterior face. Significant individual relapse in four of the cases resulted from condylar remodelling. Changes at the angle of the mandible and rotational changes of the mandibular plane were also measured.