Surgical advancement of the mandible through sagittal ramus osteotomy.

The sagittal split-ramus osteotomy (SSRO) technique has gained widespread acceptance, for it can be easily adapted to correct a wide variety of mandibular abnormalities. However, in spite of its many advantages, numerous investigators have reported postoperative relapse following mandibular advancement surgery. SSRO was performed on four patients with deficiency of mandibular growth which had led to characteristic protrusion of the maxilla. In three of the four cases, postoperative skeletal relapse occurred, which was corrected by postoperative orthodontic treatment.