Outcomes and Complications of Monobloc Versus Le Fort III Procedures for Treating Craniosynostosis: A Literature Review.
- 1From the Department of Surgery, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI.
- 2Department of Surgery, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester, MI.
- 3Department of Surgery, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH.
Abstract
Background
Craniosynostosis is a congenital disorder resulting in the early fusion of several bones in the skull, causing a deformity of the head and facial structures. The 2 most commonly performed surgical procedures to treat craniosynostosis include the monobloc and Le Fort III procedures. This literature review compares the functional and anatomical outcomes and complications between the monobloc and Le Fort III procedures for treating craniosynostosis.Methods
A PubMed search was conducted to identify studies assessing the outcomes following monobloc and Le Fort procedures. Data on anatomical changes, ophthalmic, airway, and neurological sequelae, as well as miscellaneous infectious or aesthetic complications were extracted from each study.Results
A total of 63 articles were included for analysis. The average length of midface advancement across distraction and nondistraction procedures was significantly higher in the monobloc cases (14.28 mm; 98.8% of patients with distraction) compared with Le Fort III cases (12.26 mm; 63% of patients with distraction) (P = 0.002). Both procedures exhibited similar rates of obstructive sleep apnea improvement. Cerebrospinal fluid leakage (69 of 373 monobloc patients; 15 of 448 Le Fort III patients) (P ≤ 0.001), seizures (8 of 373 monobloc surgery patients), and meningitis (9 of 373 and 2 of 448, monobloc and Le Fort III patients respectively) (P = 0.01) were observed.Conclusions
In summary, this review demonstrates that both the monobloc and Le Fort III procedures are effective in producing maxillofacial advancement and correcting craniosynostosis, with the monobloc procedure demonstrating significantly greater average advancement. Future research should investigate the comparison of aesthetic and obstructive sleep apnea outcomes further.
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BibTeX
@article{chamma2026outcomes,
title = {{Outcomes and Complications of Monobloc Versus Le Fort III Procedures for Treating Craniosynostosis: A Literature Review.}},
author = {Bassem Chamma and Suhas Nagappala and Mitchell Arnold and Sara Trumza and Kirollos Samir Tadrousse and Sahil Kapur and Mark Houdi and Richard Simman},
journal = {Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1097/gox.0000000000008193},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42903286},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Outcomes and Complications of Monobloc Versus Le Fort III Procedures for Treating Craniosynostosis: A Literature Review.
AU - Bassem Chamma
AU - Suhas Nagappala
AU - Mitchell Arnold
AU - Sara Trumza
AU - Kirollos Samir Tadrousse
AU - Sahil Kapur
AU - Mark Houdi
AU - Richard Simman
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open
DO - 10.1097/gox.0000000000008193
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42903286
AB - Background Craniosynostosis is a congenital disorder resulting in the early fusion of several bones in the skull, causing a deformity of the head and facial structures. The 2 most commonly performed surgical procedures to treat craniosynostosis include the monobloc and Le Fort III procedures. This literature review compares the functional and anatomical outcomes and complications between the monobloc and Le Fort III procedures for treating craniosynostosis.Methods A PubMed search was conducted to identify studies assessing the outcomes following monobloc and Le Fort procedures. Data on anatomical changes, ophthalmic, airway, and neurological sequelae, as well as miscellaneous infectious or aesthetic complications were extracted from each study.Results A total of 63 articles were included for analysis. The average length of midface advancement across distraction and nondistraction procedures was significantly higher in the monobloc cases (14.28 mm; 98.8% of patients with distraction) compared with Le Fort III cases (12.26 mm; 63% of patients with distraction) (P = 0.002). Both procedures exhibited similar rates of obstructive sleep apnea improvement. Cerebrospinal fluid leakage (69 of 373 monobloc patients; 15 of 448 Le Fort III patients) (P ≤ 0.001), seizures (8 of 373 monobloc surgery patients), and meningitis (9 of 373 and 2 of 448, monobloc and Le Fort III patients respectively) (P = 0.01) were observed.Conclusions In summary, this review demonstrates that both the monobloc and Le Fort III procedures are effective in producing maxillofacial advancement and correcting craniosynostosis, with the monobloc procedure demonstrating significantly greater average advancement. Future research should investigate the comparison of aesthetic and obstructive sleep apnea outcomes further.
SN - 2169-7574
ER -