The influence of maxillary osteotomy on nasal airway patency and geometry

Maxillary surgical repositioning affects nasal airway size. This study recorded nasal airway changes by acoustic rhinometry in patients with maxillary surgical repositioning after Le Fort I osteotomies. These changes were compared to the amount of skeletal movement by means of preoperative and 6-week postoperative lateral cephalography. Vertical linear movement of the posterior maxilla showed a very close relationship to volume changes in the posterior nasal segment. Anterior nasal volume changes can not be considered as a pure function of the direction and amount of skeletal movement. The greatest amount of cranial displacement tolerated without impaired nasal patency in this study was 7 mm.