Influence of the Inferior Turbinate on the Accuracy of Superior Maxillary Repositioning

Notably, many studies have focused on the bony interference in the maxillary segment when performing maxillary superior repositioning; however, few reports have described the interference with the inferior nasal turbinate. Therefore, the authors aimed to retrospectively analyze the soft tissue or bone tissue volume of the inferior nasal turbinate and the accuracy of maxillary superior repositioning in Le Fort I osteotomy (LF1). The authors included 83 patients with facial deformities who underwent conventional LF1 (maxillary molar elevation between 4.0 and 6.0 mm) with/without bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy. The ratio of the soft tissue of the inferior turbinate to that of the inferior nasal cavity was used to divide the participants into 2 subgroups (large and small ratio). Similarly, the bony tissue volume of the inferior turbinate was used to divide the participants into 2 subgroups (large and small bony tissues), and the planned or actual amount of superior repositioning was compared 3 dimensionally. In the soft tissue group, the subgroups showed no significant differences ( P =0.934). However, the actual maxillary superior repositioning was significantly lower in the large bone group than in the planned maxillary elevation group ( P <0.01). In cases where the maxillary molar needs to be elevated by >4 mm and the bone tissue of the inferior nasal turbinate is well developed, an adjunctive technique such as horseshoe osteotomy or partial inferior turbinate resection should be considered in addition to LF1 to avoid interference between the inferior nasal turbinate and the maxillary bone fragments.