Change in inferior sclera exposure following Le Fort I osteotomy in patients with midfacial retrognathia.

PURPOSE

For facial esthetic reasons, no sclera should be exposed above or below the irises when the head of a patient who has a normal skeletal pattern is in a neutral position and the eyelids are in a relaxed position. This study evaluated the decrease in sclera exposure after maxillary advancement or impaction in patients with midfacial hypoplasia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Forty-seven consecutive patients (24 male, 23 female) who underwent Le Fort I osteotomy were included. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to type of maxillary movement: group I underwent maxillary advancement (n = 23) and group II underwent maxillary advancement and impaction surgery (n = 24). Standardized preoperative and 6-month postoperative photographs of the frontal view of patients were evaluated using Adobe Photoshop CS5. The proportion of inferior sclera exposure to eye height was determined, and the proportional difference between the preoperative and postoperative orbital views was statistically analyzed.

RESULTS

The proportion of inferior sclera exposure to eye height decreased by a ratio of 0.07 (P = .001) in the right and left eyes of the 47 patients, with an average maxillary advancement of 6.1 mm. The proportion of inferior sclera exposure to eye height of the right and left eyes decreased from 0.1 to 0.02 and from 0.09 to 0.02, respectively, in group I (P = .001). The proportion of inferior sclera exposure to eye height decreased in group II by a ratio of 0.06 in the right and left eyes (P = .001).

CONCLUSION

Inferior sclera exposure in patients with midfacial hypoplasia and retrognathia decreases significantly in accordance with the change in the lower eyelid position after maxillary advancement or impaction surgeries.