Comprehensive analysis of lateral nasal wall anatomy to optimize the osteotomy in different skeletal patterns

Purpose Variations in nasal wall anatomy are crucial in patients with dentofacial deformities undergoing Le Fort I osteotomy. These structural variations heighten the potential for complications during surgical procedures. Hence, the study focused on evaluating the differences in the lateral nasal wall anatomy across different skeletal Classes. Methods This study evaluated 86 patients aged 18–43 years with different skeletal Classes. In the axial images acquired from coronal sections, two angulations and the linear distances of the lateral nasal wall were measured in Class I, II, and III patients. The measurement between the piriform opening and the most anterior point of the greater palatine foramen was evaluated in three parts regarding the osteotomy line. Differences between the skeletal patterns were analyzed using an independent sample t-test and Mann–Whitney U test with a significance level of 0.05. The intra-class correlation coefficient was calculated for inter-observer and intra-observer agreement. Results There was a statistically significant difference between Class I and Class II subjects regarding the anterior lateral nasal wall ( p = 0.011) and anterior nasal thickness ( a ) (0.004). There was a significant difference between Class I and Class III patients regarding anterior nasal thickness ( a ) ( p