Purpose: The aim of the authors study is to demonstrate the soft tissues changes in the eyelid-brow area (ELBA) in patients with long-face syndrome after LeFort I osteotomy and impaction movements.
Materials and methods: To perform this study the authors have analyzed retrospectively orthognathic patients with at least 1 years of completely follow-up. The inclusion criteria were: long-face syndrome according to Farkas' studies and vertical maxillary shortening movement without considering whether movements have been made in the other 2 planes of space (sagittal and horizontal).Orthognathic patients in which the maxillary impaction movement did not correlate to the long-face syndrome represented the control group. In this group too the authors did not consider if other movements were performed.Size and shape of the eyelid and the eyebrow was assessed on the frontal patients photos calibrated on the three-dimensional soft tissue volume imported from cone beam computed tomography.Two reference lines were taken: a horizontal line from the nasal point passing through both medial canthal angles and a perpendicular line through the pupil centre bilaterally. Then the measures were taken.The same operator (A.C.) took all of the measurements.In both groups, the preoperative measures were then compared with the postoperative ones. Then the soft tissue changes in both groups were compared.
Results: The results demonstrate different reaction of the ELBA after orthognathic surgery. The ELBA's position changes in long-face patients in a higher position after maxillary impaction. The authors did not obtain the same results in patients who do not have long-face syndrome.
Conclusions: Repositioning skeletal bases in patients with long face causes a change in the ELBA's morphology.