what is the difference between LeFort I and LeFort II and Lefort III??

[Guest guest]

Can anyone explain the difference between a Lefort 1, 2 and 3? Is a

Lefort 1 a less complicated procedure? I was told I will need a

Lefort 1. Thank you in advance!!

Robin

[Guest guest]

Leforte 1 is less complicated and is what most of us have done, if we

need upper jaw surgery. It's basically a break under the nose. The

other two procedures involve more of the facial structure, and are

not very common amongst members here.

Here's how the official U.S. Army Medical site describes them:

LeForte I - a horizontal fracture through the maxillae just above the

maxillary teeth (translation: upper jaw separated by a break under

the nose between the upper gum line and the nose)

LeForte II - a fracture in which the maxillae are separated from the

facial skeleton with the separated bone being pyramidal in shape and

including the palate and maxillary teeth (translation: the nose and

upper jaw are separated from the rest of the face)

LeForte III - a horizontal fracture in which the entire maxilla and

one or more facial bones are separated from the upper face

(translation: basically your upper jaw, nose and eye sockets are

detached from the rest of the skull)

You can see the photos of skeletal models of a Leforte 1, a sagittal

split (lower) and genioplasty (chin) and how the plates & screws

would look at this site http://www.geocities.com/orthognathicinfo/ -

click on OTHER LINKS and ORTHOGNATHIC SURGERY LINKS and then choose

link #1. It's also got a lot of before/after photos, and has a good

description of what to expect post-op.

Hope that helps,