Longitudinal recovery pattern of neurosensory deficit after Le Fort I osteotomy

The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence and recovery pattern of neurosensory deficit (NSD) following Le Fort I osteotomy, and to identify the possible risk factors that might contribute to the complication. A prospective longitudinal observational study on the incidence of NSD was conducted on patients who received Le Fort I osteotomy. Subjective and objective standardized neurosensory assessments were performed preoperatively as the baseline, and postoperatively at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months. Possible risk factors for NSD including patient age and sex, surgeon experience, and Le Fort I osteotomy with or without multi-segmentation were analysed. Sixty-six patients (43 female, 23 male) with 132 sides of Le Fort I osteotomy were recruited. The incidence of NSD at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months was 81.8%, 59.8%, 39.4%, 19.7%, 7.6%, and 3.2%, respectively. Subjective severity of NSD improved with time. Older age was found to be a risk factor for NSD in the early postoperative period, but there was no difference in the long-term. Patient sex, surgeon experience, and the need for multi-segmentation were not found to be related to the incidence of NSD after Le Fort I osteotomy.