Effects of maxillary advancement and impaction on nasal airway function

The effects of Le Fort I osteotomy on the nasal airway are controversial. This study aimed to evaluate nasal airway changes after Le Fort I. 25 patients underwent conventional Le Fort I osteotomy and were separated into three groups depending on the type of surgery they underwent. 11 patients needed maxillary impaction, 9 underwent maxillary advancement, and 5 had both maxillary impaction and advancement. Rhinological examinations, anterior rhinomanometry and acoustic rhinometry were carried out 1 week before surgery and 3 months after that. Wilcoxon and chi(2) tests were used for data analysis. The samples included 19 females and 6 males with a mean age of 22.4 +/- 3.32 years. Rhinomanometric assessment showed that total nasal airflow was increased from 406 +/- 202 ml/s to 543 +/- 268 ml/s in all three groups. Significant decrease in nasal airway resistance was seen in all three groups. Acoustic rhinometry revealed a significant decrease in total nasal volume but an increase in the cross-sectional areas of isthmus nasi (IN) and inferior concha. The rhinomanometric measurements showed improvements in the total nasal airflow after Le Fort I osteotomy with alar base cinch suture in cases where the impaction was not higher than 5.5 mm.