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In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. Condylar resorption is a feared complication of orthognathic surgery. This study investigated condylar resorption in a cohort of patients This allowed for a powerful update on incidence and risk factors. Univariable analysis on a condylar level also identified compressive movements of the ramus and a higher mandibular plane angle as risk factors.
Using machine learning for the multivariable analysis, the amount of mandibular advancement was the most important predictor for condylar resorption. There were no differences in preoperative mandibular, ramal or condylar shape between patients with or without resorption. These findings suggest condylar resorption may be more common than thought. Identifying risk factors allows surgical plans to be adjusted to reduce the likelihood of resorption, and patients can be more selectively screened postoperatively.
In addition, these patients may have aesthetic concerns due to facial asymmetry or disproportional jaw sizes 3. Orthognathic surgery aims to correct these problems by normalizing the position and alignment of the jaws, improving the bite and restoring proper function and facial balance. The most performed orthognathic surgery procedure is the bilateral sagittal split osteotomy BSSO introduced by Obwegeser in 4 , 5. The technique was modified by Epker, Hunsuck, Dal-Pont and Wolford to be the workhorse of current-day orthognathic surgery 6.
It is a safe and reliable procedure in which the proximal condylar-bearing segments are seated in the fossa, and the distal teeth-bearing segment is repositioned and fixed into a new occlusion-guided position, either on its own or in combination with the maxilla through a Le Fort osteotomy. During surgery, periosteal stripping, performing the split, mobilizing the condyle in the fossa and fixing the new position of distal segment using osteosynthesis material are stressors for the joint as they cause some degree of biological trauma to the condyle 7.
