Facial skeletal changes following hypertelorbitism correction

Abstract

This is a retrospective study of skeletal changes in 19 patients with corrected hypertelorism. A favorable outcome, defined as relapse less than 5 mm, occurred in patients with an average interorbital distance of 32 mm, whereas patients with an average interorbital distance of 40 mm tended to relapse over 5 mm. Neither age, interorbital configuration, nor diagnosis affected the stability of orbital translocation. At last evaluation (mean 6.7 years postoperatively), the mean interorbital distance was 22.4 mm in the favorable outcome group and 28.3 mm in the unfavorable category. This study suggested that the standard hypertelorism operation may interfere with anterior facial growth. Unless psychosocial factors predominate in a child with mild deformity, repair should be postponed until late adolescence. In a young child with gross telorbitism, nasoethmoidal resection and transmaxillary osteotomies or facial bipartition is justified. Another long-term skeletal problem was resorption of the reconstructed nasal complex. Technical and biological explanations for this are given. The correction of hypertelorism is surgery of the nose and of the midface.