A New Classification System for Craniomaxillofacial Deformities

The preceeding chapters have provided an excellent review of the various classification systems used to characterize congenital craniofacial deformities, cleft lip and palate deformities, posttraumatic deformities, postinfection deformities, and deformities acquired in the management of oncologic disease. While each of the previous classification schemes possesses certain advantages in describing the individual defect or directing the surgical management for their particular anatomic region, neither is universal nor all-inclusive when assessing the craniomaxillofacial deformity patient. An ideal system would account for each of the particular osseous structures that are absent (or about to be removed), the quantity and quality of the overlying soft tissues (i.e., skin and/or mucosa), the vascular supply available for microvascular reanastomosis, the presence of nerve tissue that could restore sensation and function, and the suitability of the tissues to allow prosthetic restoration of specialized structures (i.e., teeth, eyes, auricles, or the nose).