The Role of Genioplasty in the correction of Craniofacial Deformities
K.A. Nowakowski, N.R. McLean, D.J. David

The Australian Craniofacial Unit, North Adelaide.

The surgical management of craniofacial deformities is multidisciplinary, requiring a variety of surgical procedures, often on the lower third of the face.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the role of genioplasty in patients with multifaceted craniofacial deformities.

Since 1978, the Unit has managed over 52 patients with craniofacial deformities who have undergone genioplasty, of whom there were 28 females and 24 males, with an average age of 18 years. The commonest syndromes included Treacher Collins (10), Crouzon (7), Goldenhar (5) and Binder (5). Non-syndromic craniofacial deformities included hemi-facial microsomia (4), coronal synostosis (3), hemi-facial hypertrophy (2) and cleft lip/palate (2).

Many cases required pre-operative orthodontic management and in combination with genioplasty, some required additional surgical procedures including cranial vault reshaping, fronto-orbital advancement, hypertelorism correction, Le Fort I/lI/Ill osteotomies, mandibular reconstruction, rhinoplasty, and ear reconstruction, genioplasty often being the final corrective procedure.

The technique and complications of genioplasty will be discussed and the results of photography,; cephalometric measurements, OPG and CT scans will be analysed. The changes that occur within the chin following genioplasty will also be examined.