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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Midface Hypoplasia and Cranial Base Morphology in Syndromic Craniosynostosis: A Comparative Analysis Study Using a Predictive Regression Model
Published on: November 4, 2025
[The diagnoses and classifying of congenital craniofacial cleft]
Yi-Qun Zhou1, Jing Ji, Xiong-Zheng Mu
1Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Ninth People's Hospital of Shanghai Second Medical University, Shanghai 200011, China.
Objective:
To diagnose and classify the congenital craniofacial cleft with a uniform scale is helpful to evaluate the abnormality and select the repairing methods.
Methods:
We analyzed 81 cases of congenital craniofacial cleft basically using Tessier craniofacial cleft classification. Furthermore, according to the position of soft tissue or bone, the character and degree of clefts or dysplasia and the results of CT scanning, we subdivided the congenital deformities based on S (skin), T (tissue), and O (OS). Arabic numerals were used to express the degree of the abnormality.
Results:
Of all the cases analyzed with the STO classification, No. III and IV clefts are often seen in the infraorbital region (24.70%). No. IX and X clefts are mostly seen in the supraorbital region (38.27%). The relationship between the cleft types and involved tissue has not been found.
Conclusions:
The STO classification reinforces Tessier classification. It offers the basis for craniofacial cleft repair.
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