A new osteotomy for genioplasty--stepped osteotomy: preliminary report.

A new osteotomy for genioplasty, stepped osteotomy, is described. This osteotomy is a combination of horizontal and sagittal osteotomy of the mandibular symphysis. It consists of horizontal osteotomy at a distance of 3 to 4 mm below the apexes of the anterior teeth, connecting at right angles with the conventional horizontal osteotomy below the mental foramen, making a step-fashioned osteotomy of the chin. This procedure is particularly advantageous in simultaneous elongation and advancement genioplasty because the central portion between the apexes of the anterior teeth and the conventional horizontal osteotomy line is available as augmentation and the bony contact of the osteotomized mandible can be retained in elongating the chin. The characteristics of this procedure are described and typical patients are shown.