ABSTRACT
Distraction osteogenesis in long limbs was shown by a Ilizarov and others in the 1980s to be an efficacious and safe procedure. The mandibular distraction was applied by a novel external calibrated device. The surgical technique involved exposure of the mandible through a Risdon approach followed by supra-periosteal dissection. Two bi-cortical pins were placed at 10 mm and 14 mm distances on each side of a proposed corticotomy. The corticotomy was then performed using a drill and osteotomes. The major limitation of this paper is that it is a heterogeneous case series of four patients with varying ages and pathology. Although the reported follow-up demonstrated good stability, the overall timeframe for follow-up is short when potential confounding factors such as growth are considered. Since the initial demonstration for use of distraction osteogenesis of the mandible in congenital craniofacial deformities, its use in other areas of the facial skeleton and for other congenital and acquired facial deformities has expanded markedly.
