title: Cephalometric evaluation of the pharyngeal airway space after orthognathic surgery and distraction osteogenesis of the jaw bones.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Orthognathic surgeries and distraction osteogenesis (DO) of the jaw bones cause a change in the pharyngeal airway space (PAS). The aim of our study was to evaluate the magnitude of changes occurring in the pharyngeal airway after mandibular set-back surgeries and DO of maxilla/mandible.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study undertaken was a retrospective cephalometric study. Subjects included in our study had undergone mandibular set-back surgery or DO of maxilla/mandible. Lateral cephalograms of the subjects taken pre-operatively (T0), immediate post-operatively (T1) and after a minimum follow-up period of 6 months (T2) were studied. The cephalograms were traced manually and the following parameters were evaluated: Surface area of the PAS, pharyngeal airway width at the level of the base of the tongue, position of the hyoid bone and the tongue. Repeated measure ANOVA test was done to assess the presence of any significant changes in the proposed parameters at T0, T1 and T2. A correlation analysis was made between the mandibular/maxillary movements and the corresponding changes in the PAS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Surgical movements of maxilla and mandible do have an effect on the pharyngeal airway.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was clearly evident that the effects of mandibular movements on the PAS and the hyoid bone is more significant than the maxillary movements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nair Hospital Dental College, Mumbai Central, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: S Ganapathy
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Sriram
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nair Hospital Dental College, Mumbai Central, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Neelam N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Andrade
keywords: Distraction osteogenesis; orthognathic surgery; pharyngeal airway space