Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Midface Hypoplasia and Cranial Base Morphology in Syndromic Craniosynostosis: A Comparative Analysis Study Using a Predictive Regression Model
Published on: November 4, 2025
Craniofacial cephalometric morphology in children with CATCH 22 syndrome
1Department of Plastic Surgery, Cleft Center, Helsinki University Central Hospital, HUS, Finland. arja.heliovaara@mbnet.fi
Objectives:
To evaluate cephalometrically the craniofacial, pharyngeal and cervical morphology in children with CATCH 22, and to compare and quantify the findings with age- and sex-matched controls.
Design:
A retrospective case-control study.
Setting And Sample Population:
Forty-one children (20 girls) with CATCH 22 were compared with age- and sex-matched controls from lateral cephalograms taken at the mean age of 8.5 years (range 5.8-12.9). The deletion of 22q11 was verified by fluorescence in situ hybridization techniques. Thirteen of the children with CATCH 22 had palatal clefts.
Outcome Measure:
Linear and angular measurements were obtained from lateral cephalograms. A Student's t-test and a paired Student's t-test were used in the statistical analysis. Standard deviation scores (SDS) were calculated to quantify the variation.
Results:
Children with CATCH 22 had obtuse cranial base angles and long anterior cranial bases. Their faces were long with increased facial convexity. The maxillae were long but both jaws were retrognathic and the lower jaws posteriorly diverged. The pharynges were wide in the nasopharyngeal area and narrow in the hypopharyngeal area. The development of the hyoid bones was delayed, and hyoid bone and atlas lengths were reduced. The morphology of the children with CATCH 22 with and without a palatal cleft was similar. Despite several statistically significant differences between the children with CATCH 22 and the controls, the SDS did not exceed +/-2 for any of the measurements.
Conclusion:
Children with CATCH 22 have several minor distinctive morphological features in the craniofacial, pharyngeal, and cervical areas.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Cranial Bones: Lateral View
The temporal bone forms the lower lateral side of the skull. The temporal bone is subdivided into several regions. The flattened upper portion is the squamous portion of the temporal bone. Below this area and projecting anteriorly is the zygomatic process of the temporal bone, which forms the posterior portion of the zygomatic arch. Posteriorly is the mastoid portion of the temporal bone. Projecting...
Sutures of the Skull
Sutures are immobile joints between adjacent bones of the skull. The narrow gap between the bones is filled with dense, fibrous connective tissue that unites the bones. The long sutures located between the skull bones are not straight but instead follow irregular, tightly twisting paths. These twisting lines tightly...
Cranial Bones: Superior and Posterior View
The frontal bone is the single bone that forms the forehead. At its anterior midline, between the eyebrows, there is a slight depression called the glabella. The frontal bone also forms the supraorbital margin of the orbit. Near the middle of this margin is the supraorbital foramen, the opening that provides passage for a sensory nerve to the forehead. The frontal bone is thickened just above each supraorbital margin,...
Overview of the Skull
The cranial vault surrounds and protects the brain and houses the middle and inner ear structures. This cavity is bounded superiorly by the rounded top of the skull, which...

