Correction of vertical maxillary deficiency: stability and soft tissue changes.

Thirteen adults with vertical maxillary deficiency were treated by Le Fort I osteotomy and autogenous interpositional bone grafts to increase facial height. A retrospective cephalometric study of 11 of these patients showed that a consistent relapse of approximately 2 mm occurred, predominantly during the early postoperative period (two to three months). Thereafter, there was minimal positional change of the maxilla. The upper lip tended to lengthen a little. The amount of maxillary tooth exposure increased and improved the smile line and lip-to-tooth relationship. Future modifications of the surgical technique should be designed to maximize stability by improved methods of interosseous fixation during the critical early postoperative period, when much of the relapse occurs.