Abstract
External nasal morphology changes after LeFort I osteotomy, and various techniques including alar cinch suture, and subspinal osteotomy have been devised to accommodate these changes. However, despite various modifications, external nasal morphology may vary unexpectedly on an individual basis. Considering that the patient's external nasal morphology may be a contributing factor, this paper reports a retrospective study of the surgical technique and direction of maxillary movement in addition to the measurement of factors that comprise the external nasal morphology. Multiple regression analysis identified the patient's preoperative nasal width as a factor that increased the alar base width of the nose, in addition to the incision (oral vestibular incision) and the amount of anterior and superior movements at point A of the maxilla. The factors that caused the nasal apex to turn upward were the amount of anterior and superior movements at point A and the absence of subspinal osteotomy. The direction of surgical maxillary movement was influenced not only by anterior movement, but also by superior movement and surgical technique. Furthermore, the patient's preoperative nasal morphology was taken into consideration in determining the preoperative mode of movement.