Postero-lateral expansion osteotomy of maxilla. A case report.

The posterior-maxillary osteotomy introduced by Schuchardt was designed to close skeletal anterior open bite. Also, it can be used to reduce a posterior cross bite. But in this latter case, the most important problem is the difficulty in expanding the maxilla because of the relative inelasticity of the palatal mucosa. This paper reports on the result obtained by a surgical expansion technique without orthodontic treatment. The use of a local soft tissue flap is necessary; the anteroposterior part of the palatal incision is placed contralaterally to the bone incision. A palatal appliance is used for the retention of the palatal flap.