This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between muscle morphology (muscle volume, estimated cross-sectional area (eCSA), and length) in the masseter and medial pterygoid muscles and skeletal stability of the mandible in skeletal Class III patient...
This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between muscle morphology (muscle volume, estimated cross-sectional area (eCSA), and length) in the masseter and medial pterygoid muscles and skeletal stability of the mandible in skeletal Class III patients who underwent Le Fort I osteotomy and bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy (BSSRO). The study included 36 skeletal Class III patients who underwent bimaxillary orthognathic surgery at Dankook University Dental Hospital between 2020 and 2025. Preoperative (T0) and postoperative 5-6 month (T2) CT scans were segmented in 3D Slicer to measure muscle volume, length, and eCSA. Muscle length was approximated as the centroid to centroid distance between the origin and insertion, and eCSA was calculated by dividing volume by length. Posterior mandibular displacement (setback) was defined as the horizontal B-point change from T0 to T1 using an X-axis rotated 7° clockwise from the SN plane, and anterior drift was defined as the horizontal change from T1 to T2. Paired t-test, independent t-test, correlation analysis, simple regression analysis, multiple regression analysis, and one-way ANOVA were performed. Significant postoperative reductions were observed in all three morphological parameters (volume, eCSA, and length) for both muscles. Preoperative muscle morphology showed no significant association with anterior drift, whereas setback demonstrated a strong positive correlation. Changes in masseter volume and eCSA demonstrated strong correlations with anterior drift and remained independent predictors even after adjusting for setback. Changes in medial pterygoid volume demonstrated a strong correlation but showed only borderline significance after adjusting for setback. Muscle length changes showed no significant association. One way ANOVA revealed no differences in muscle morphology changes among groups stratified by setback magnitude. Postoperative changes in masseter muscle morphology, especially muscle volume, showed significant and independent associations with anterior drift and appeared to provide a more useful indicator of skeletal relapse risk than eCSA. In contrast, the contribution of the medial pterygoid muscle was limited. These findings suggest that postoperative adaptation progress is more important for skeletal stability than absolute preoperative muscle size and indicate that interventional support during postoperative muscle recovery may help reduce skeletal relapse.