Transversal Maxillary Distraction in Patients with Cleft Lip and Palate.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to describe the importance of osteodistraction with transpalatal distractors for treating transversal maxillary hypoplasia in patients with cleft and lip palate. METHODS: The participants were 17 patients (9 females and 8 males) with cleft lip and palate. Among these, 10 presented unilateral cleft lip and palate, 4 bilateral cleft lip and palate, and 3 cleft palate only. RESULTS: All patients experienced a satisfactory palatal expansion and crossbite correction. The mean lengthening was 12.7 mm. The average increase of intercanine distance, intermolar distance, maxillary transverse dimension (MTD), facial transverse dimension (FTD) was 12.16, 8.45, 1.77, and 1.67 mm, respectively. The clinical follow-up was 29.7 months (range: 6-61 months). CONCLUSION: Palatal distraction is a safe and successful alternative for treating maxillary transversal alterations in patients with cleft lip and palate. This technique facilitates the establishment of an adequate transverse dimension of maxillary, and consequently a proper dental occlusion.

Impact of Virtual Planning on Surgical Reposition of the Premaxilla Using an Endonasal Approach and Simultaneous Alveoloplasty.

OBJECTIVE: Describe the surgical repositioning of the premaxilla using an innovative minimally invasive endonasal approach and secondary bone graft at the same time. We want to emphasize the importance of virtual surgical planning in this technique. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 6 patients with bilateral complete cleft lip and palate underwent a surgical repositioning of the premaxilla. Virtual surgical planning was performed in all cases. The ages varied between 8 and 12 years and all were male. Five patients were in the mixed dentition phase and 1 patient was in the definitive phase. Three of the patients had been prepared with presurgical nasoalveolar molding. The other 3 were not prepared for various reasons. All patients had primary repair of cleft lip and palate. INTERVENTIONS: An innovative minimally invasive endonasal approach is presented that has allowed a safe 3-D reposition of the premaxilla in patients with bilateral cleft palate. A simultaneous secondary alveoloplasty with the use of absorbable osteosynthesis is a good choice to achieve symmetry and stability. CONCLUSIONS: Virtual surgical planning is an exceptional instrument to make an appropriate presurgical selection of the patients in which combine the 2 procedures.

Nasoalveolar Molding Therapy for the Treatment of Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate Improves Nasal Symmetry and Maxillary Alveolar Dimensions.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess the esthetic and morphologic outcomes before surgery using nasoalveolar molding (NAM) therapy in children with unilateral cleft lip and palate. DESIGN: A prospective analysis was performed. SETTING: The study was carried out in the Congenital Malformations Craniofacial and Cleft Lip and Palate Unit, Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Andalusian Health Service, Granada (Spain). PATIENTS: Twenty consecutively enrolled infants ranging in age from 7 to 30 days with nonsyndromic unilateral cleft lip and palate treated from 2008 to 2012. INTERVENTIONS: All patients were treated with NAM appliances to align the alveolar segments and reduce severity of the nasal deformity. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The extraoral nasal measurements were performed on casts and nasal photographs. The measurements consisted of bialar width (BAW), columellar deviation (CD), cleft nostril height (CNH), cleft nostril width (CNW), non-CNH, non-CNW, and the deviation of the columella to the horizontal line represented by bilateral pupil line (BIA). The authors have made the measurements following Barilla method. Also 2 intraoral measurements were taken. RESULTS: Following NAM the extraoral records showed a statistically significant decrease in CD (P < 0.0001), CNW (P < 0.0001), and BAW (P < 0.001). Furthermore, statistically significant increases in CNH (P < 0.05) and BIA (P < 0.0001) were observed.Following Barilla measurements, the authors have found a high percentage of symmetry in all the nasal measurements after the NAM therapy.Intraoral results showed a statistically significant decrease in the gap between the greater and lesser alveolar segments and a statistically significant increase in maxillary arch width. CONCLUSIONS: Nasoalveolar molding improves nasal symmetry and achieves an improvement of all maxillary alveolar dimensions, increasing alveolar rim width, reducing the size of alveolar cleft gap, and improving shape of the maxillary dental arch. As a consequence of reducing the alveolar and nasal deformities before surgery, it is expected that the primary repair will be easier for the surgeon and more successful.

Aneurysmal bone cyst of the mandible affecting the articular condyle: a case report.

Aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) is a benign osteolytic lesion that is fast-growing, expansile, and locally destructive. The present case is of a young girl with facial asymmetry, which had become accentuated during the previous months. A conservative treatment was performed to reduce morbidity and affectation of the lower dental nerve.