Vascular considerations in orthognathic surgery. II. Maxillary osteotomies

In this article vascular considerations for orthognathic procedures in the maxilla will be discussed. Specific topics to be included are as follows: (1) What are the potential sequelae from vascular compromise? (2) What is the normal vascular supply to the maxilla? (3) What recommendations are there for minimizing avascular sequelae in maxillary surgery? (4) What does one do when significant avascular sequelae occur? It is the intent of this article to help the orthognathic surgeon reduce the potential for avascular complications when performing the various maxillary osteotomies and ostectomies via a better appreciation for the important subtleties of surgical technique.