The Measurement And Study Of Upper Airway And Mandible In Pierre Robin Sequence

Objective: To present the dynamical evaluation of mandible and upper airway size among PRS patients following mandibular distraction osteogenesis in a short-term follow-up and compare pre-distraction measurements with a normal age-and sex-matched control.Materials and Methods: Eight PRS patients and eight normal infants were included.A CT analyzing computer software MIMICS was utilized to analyze the anatomic variables of upper airway size and mandible size.All analysis was based on a significance level of 0.05.Results: PRS patients were observed to differ mainly in the mandibular body length,mandibular volume and the minimum anteroposterior dimension of the retroglossal airway from the control.PRS patients tended to have longer airways than controls.After mandibular distraction osteogenesis,the mandibular body length and the ramus height both increased significantly,the ramus height also increased after 3 months of consolidation.Only small increase in the airway dimension of the retroglossal area at T2 were observed compared with T1.Conclusions: PRS patients tended to have shorter mandibular bodies and a more slender,flatter upper airway,the narrowest region mainlylocated in the retroglossal region which attributed to the decrease of minimum anteroposterior dimension.Mandibular distraction osteogenesis is an effective modality in treating Pierre Robin Sequence.There may not be an increase in the diameter of airway and the length of mandibular body after 3 months of growth and development in Pierre Robin Sequence.A comprehensive and detailed clinical assessment should be made prior to the development of treatment options.