Unilateral bimaxillary vertical elongation by maxillary distraction osteogenesis and mandibular sagittal split ramus osteotomy: a case report

Maxillary canting and vertical shortening of the unilateral mandibular ramus height is common in cases of severe facial asymmetry. Normally, mandibular distraction osteogenesis (DO) with horizontal osteotomy at the ascending ramus is used for vertical lengthening of the mandibular ramus to correct facial asymmetry with an absolute shortened ascending ramus. In this case report, vertical lengthening of the ascending ramus was performed successfully with unilateral DO and sagittal split ramus osteotomy (SSRO), where the posterior part of the distal segment can be distracted simultaneously in an inferior direction with maxillary DO, resulting in a lengthening of the medial pterygoid muscle. This case describes the acquired unilateral mandibular hypoplasia caused by a condylar fracture at an early age, which resulted in abnormal mandibular development that ultimately caused severe facial trismus. The treatment of this case included two-stage surgery consisting of bimaxillary distraction osteogenesis for gradual lengthening of the unilateral facial height followed by secondary orthognathic surgery to correct the transverse asymmetry. At the one year follow-up after SSRO, the vertical length was maintained without complications.