Le Fort III advancement osteotomy in the growing child.

A prospective clinical and cephalometric study was conducted on 12 patients under the age of 12 years undergoing Le Fort III advancement with the following findings: 1. There was a remarkable degree of postoperative skeletal stability of the midfacial segment. 2. Disharmony in jaw relationship (anterior crossbite) observed during the period of longitudinal postoperative study could be attributed to expected mandibular development. 3. In some patients, growth and development of the maxilla in a forward and downward direction were documented after Le Fort III advancement. The authors recommend that a Le Fort III advancement can be safely performed at approximately age 4 without a deleterious effect on midfacial development in the patient with craniofacial dysostosis.