Neurosensory changes of palatal mucousa following Le Fort I osteotomy

• Main Authors: Bijan Movahedian Attar, Navid Farzad far
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2009-09-01
• Series: Journal of Research in Medical Sciences
• Subjects: Lefort I Osteotomy, Palatal Mocousa, Nerve Recovery.
• Online Access: http://journals.mui.ac.ir/jrms/article/view/2401
• ISSN: 1735-1995; 1735-7136

<ul><li><strong>BACKGROUND</strong>: This study evaluated the sensation of palatal ucosa before and after Le Fort I osteotomy and compared it based on whether greater palatine nerve has been dissected or not.</li><li><strong>METHODS</strong>: Sixteen patients were studied within one week before  urgery and then one week, 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months after surgery. Four tests including sharp-blunt discrimination, cold perception, pin prick sensation and electrical stimulation were performed.</li><li><strong>RESULTS</strong>: Mean values of electrical stimulation were significantly higher 6 months after surgery (p < 0.05), on the other hand mean values of pin-prick sensation were significantly lower (p < 0.05). All patients regardless of the condition of greater palatine nerve were responsive to cold perception and sharp-blunt discrimination 6 months after surgery.</li><li><strong>CONCLUSIONS</strong>: Following Le Fort I osteotomy, palatal  esponsiveness to electrical stimulation decreases and mechanical hyper sensitization occurs. Dissection of greater palatine nerve was shown to have no effect on the results.</li><li><strong>KEYWORDS</strong>: Lefort I Osteotomy, Palatal Mocousa, Nerve Recovery.</li></ul>