Morphologic airway changes after mandibular setback osteotomy for prognathism with and without cleft palate

This study illustrates morphologic changes of the pharyngeal airway after mandibular setback osteotomy. Twenty-six patients with prognathism were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively with standard lateral cephalograms to assess craniofacial morphology--in particular, airway size. Subjects were classified into two groups: those with mandibular prognathism and those with mandibular prognathism accompanied by maxillary hypoplasia caused by cleft palate. In the postoperative period, the width of the pharyngeal airway significantly diminished in both groups; the airway widths of those with maxillary hypoplasia were narrower than those without maxillary hypoplasia. These results indicate that mandibular setback osteotomy induces the narrowing of the pharyngeal airway, and the narrowing effect of this surgery was more pronounced in prognathic patients accompanied by maxillary hypoplasia caused by cleft palate.