Abstract
BackgroundOrthognathic surgery is widely used in treating functional and skeletal problems. Any surgical procedure could cause side effects.ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the potential changes in orthognathic surgery on the hearing function of patients.Materials and methodsThirty-one orthognathic surgery candidates were recruited in this study. Patients underwent either single or double jaw surgery. Pure tone audiometry (PTA), tympanometry, and Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Test (ETFT) were performed postoperatively at 24 h, 6 weeks, and 6 months after surgery. Patients were tabulated based on the type of maxilla and mandibular surgical movements (vertical and horizontal).ResultsPTA evaluation, based on horizontal or vertical movements, did not show significant differences, although vertical movements resulted in less change in hearing threshold. In other words, no significant changes occurred in patients’ hearing threshold after surgery. No significant difference was also observed between horizontal and vertical movements in the results of tympanometry. Negative changes were found in the results of ETFT in vertical movements, which returned to pre-surgery values in the final test.ConclusionsThe risk of minor changes in hearing function is probable during the first week after orthognathic surgery, but these negative changes will either totally fade or remain negligible. Patients gave informed consent preoperatively, and reassurance postoperatively is prudent.
Highlights
Orthognathic surgery is widely used in treating functional and skeletal problems
The risk of minor changes in hearing function is probable during the first week after orthognathic surgery, but these negative changes will either totally fade or remain negligible
The muscles of the soft palate and pharynx are directly related to the hearing tube [6]; maxillary orthognathic surgeries either in the horizontal or vertical plane can change the anatomy of the soft palate and pharynx, affecting the Eustachian tube and the middle ear’s function
Summary
Orthognathic surgery is widely used in treating functional and skeletal problems. Any surgical procedure could cause side effects. Congenital anomalies, systemic diseases, syndromes, Any surgical procedure could cause relative adverse outcomes. These could occur during or after the procedure and can be either minor or severe, transient or permanent, and idiopathic or iatrogenic. Orthognathic surgery due to its close relation with the nasopharynx, oropharynx, and temporomandibular joints can affect the neighboring anatomic structures such as the muscles of the soft palate, pharynx, Eustachian tube, masticatory muscles, and neurovascular structures [1–4]. The masticatory muscles have anatomic proximities to the oropharynx and nasopharynx or even the Eustachian tube [7–9] This could result in hearing changes after the maxilla or mandible (or both) movement during orthognathic surgery [4]
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