Stability after Le Fort I osteotomy in cleft lip and palate patients.

Le Fort I osteotomies were performed in 20 patients with cleft lip and palate as a one-segment movement, and the fragments were fixed with miniplates without bone grafting. Tracings of preoperative and serial postoperative lateral cephalograms were used to determine changes in maxillary position. The posterior nasal spine, not subjected to extensive changes during surgical procedures and remodeling, was found to be the most reliable landmark for measuring maxillary advancement and stability. The mean maxillary advancement was 5.96 mm. Analysis did not reveal significant changes in linear and angular measurements from immediately postoperative to 6 months postoperative. A modest maxillary advancement by Le Fort I osteotomy, along with alleviation of palatal scar tissue tension and miniplate fixation, is a stable surgical method in patients with cleft lip and palate.