I saw this video. I think the minimally invasive part of the talk applies only to children. Distraction osteogenesis sounded appealing at first but there's a lot of problems with it. There haven't been many cases done on the jaws and that's a big problem for someone with only one life. It's harder to use here because movements are in three dimensions. Complications seem to be greater and I don't think it's really any less invasive. Avoiding hardware is a win to me but not most people. Newer graft materials have eliminated the advantage to the union. I would think it would be easier on the nerves but much harder on other soft tissue. Infection risk looks like a nightmare. I think it's mostly being tested in cases where the tried and true plates aren't possible. That is, very large movements. Still, it's a good suggestion and I think I'll make an appointment with MGH next time I'm in the area (Oct) and keep you posted if you like.
I'm also very interested in this topic though. I've taken interest recently in Dr Hernandez Alfaro. I've been asking around but no one seems to know about him or his procedures. He claims to be able to do a minimally invasive surgery, with only a 2.8cm incision on the upper jaw. From the video the lower incisions look pretty small too. This is a HUGE win that's actually less invasive, if the risk of mistakes doesn't change. I'm thinking of doing a virtual consult with him to learn more about it. He doesn't mention it but I suspect nerve function is much better preserved.
