Mechanisms of early maxillary growth-implications for surgery.

Previous studies of the effects of surgical techniques on facial growth (with one exception) have been done in dogs, pigs, rabbits, and rats; the phylogenetically closer nonhuman primate serves as a better model. Current data, obtained from resection of the nasal septum in baboons, indicate that proper coordination of timing and surgical technique can cause arrest of growth in the upper part of the face.