Radiologic Evaluation of the Influence of Cleft Treatment on Nasal Dorsum Growth.

OBJECTIVE: The study addresses whether the growth of the nasal dorsum is disturbed by cleft treatments, for cleft lip only (CL) and cleft lip with cleft palate (CLP). DESIGN: A total of 576 patients with cleft (278 CL, 298 CLP) and 333 individuals without orofacial clefts were retrospectively enrolled. Cleft lip only group was treated with a modified Millard technique combined with Tajima incision for rhinoplasty at 3 to 6 months. The CLP group underwent the same lip repair technique and then underwent a Sommerlad palatoplasty at 9 to 12 months. Lateral cephalometric radiographs of all individuals were taken to evaluate the nasal length and nasal dorsum height. Dunn test was used to analyze the difference (P < .001). RESULTS: Compared with control, in CL, nasal bone angle and nasal dorsum angle increase by age similarly (5-18 years, P > .05); the total dorsum is significantly shorter (5-18 years, P < .001), while the upper nasal dorsum length is similar (except in 5-6 years), and the lower nasal dorsum is shorter (5-18 years, P < .001). In CLP, nasal bone angle develops insufficiently as children grow (8-18 years, P < .001); the nasal dorsum angle is notably smaller (5-18 years, P < .001); nasal bone length is not significantly different except 11 to 13 years (P < .05); nasal dorsal length is similar at skeletal maturity (17-18 years, P > .05), although it is shorter during 8 to 16 years (P < .05); the upper nasal dorsum is overdeveloped (14-18 years, P < .05), whereas the lower nasal dorsum is underdeveloped (5-18 years, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Treatments in both CL and CLP could be the important factors in disturbing the growth of cartilaginous portion of the nasal dorsum (including nasal tip) and the nasal dorsum height.