Combined use of bone grafts and implants in the severely resorbed maxilla. Postoperative evaluation by computed tomography.

Combined horseshoe-shaped iliac bone grafts and Brånemark fixtures were used to rehabilitate patients with severely resorbed maxillae. Twenty patients were followed-up by computed tomography (CT) examination with axial slices to assess the fixture sites and to study the changes in height and width of the bone graft 3 weeks and 3, 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively. The mean height of the bone graft at the 3-week postoperative examination was 8.2 mm; after 2 years the mean value had decreased to 6.2 mm. The height reduction occurred mainly between the 3-month and 1-year examinations. The mean width of the bone graft at the 3-week postoperative examination was 12.2 mm, and it decreased to 8.6 mm after 2 years. Most of the width reduction took place during postoperative months 1-3. From 1 year after the grafting procedure, the rate of reduction of both height and width was very low.