Forward traction in the correction of retrodisplaced maxilla.

An external fixation apparatus immobilized to the skull has been used with satisfactory results in 15 cases of significant retrusion of the middle third of the face in which intermaxillary wiring and facial suspension had proved inadequate. The retrusion was a consequence of trauma or secondary to congenital malformation.This apparatus, developed by Delbet and Tessier, would be useful in difficult cases, such as for edentulous patients, and is an alternative to bone grafting.