Purpose: To compare the condylar volume of patients with unilateral condylar hyperplasia (UCH) with that of patients with a Class III skeletal relation.
Materials and methods: Twenty cone-beam computed tomograms of patients were analyzed. Images were divided into 2 groups: 10 from patients with transverse asymmetry of the face and 10 from patients with a Class III facial deformity. Patients' ages ranged from 15 to 30 years. Volumetric data were reconstructed using Dolphin 3D software (Dolphin Imaging & Management Solutions, Chatsworth, CA). This software measured the condylar volume above the deepest point of the sigmoid notch, the lower arch midline deviation, and the overjet.
Results: The condyle with hyperplasia exhibited the largest volume (1.97 ± 0.52 cm3) and a statistically significant difference compared with the contralateral condyle (χ2 = 14.30; P < .01). The Class III condyle exhibited relative symmetry of volume between the left and right sides. These condyles exhibited a larger volume compared with the non-hyperplastic condyles in the UCH group, with a statistically significant difference (χ2 = 6.22; P = .013; χ2 = 5.50; P = .019).
Conclusions: Hyperplastic condyles were similar in volume to the condyles of patients with mandibular prognathism, suggesting that patients with a Class III skeletal relation could exhibit bilateral condylar hyperplasia.
Copyright © 2016 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.