Neonatal Micrognathia: National Trends in Early Mandibular Surgery

Hillary E Jenny1, Benjamin B Massenburg, E Hope Weissler

  • 1From the Mount Sinai Cleft and Craniofacial Center, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Kravis Children's Hospital, New York, NY.

Annals of Plastic Surgery
|January 21, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Infants with micrognathia (small jaw) requiring long mechanical ventilation, experiencing apnea, or having a cleft palate may benefit from early mandibular surgery. This can help predict which newborns need timely surgical intervention for breathing and feeding issues.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Surgery
  • Neonatology
  • Congenital Anomalies

Background:

  • Micrognathia, a congenital anomaly, can cause significant breathing and feeding difficulties in newborns.
  • These limitations may necessitate invasive interventions, highlighting the need for timely surgical assessment.
  • Identifying predictors for early surgical intervention is crucial for improving infant outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify complications associated with mandibular surgery in newborns during their initial hospital stay.
  • To predict which infants with micrognathia may benefit from early surgical intervention.
  • To inform the standardization of indications for early mandibular distraction osteogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective cohort study utilizing the 2000-2012 Kids' Inpatient Databases.
  • Inclusion of all live newborn infants.
  • Multivariate logistic regression to analyze factors associated with mandibular surgery for micrognathia.

Main Results:

  • Micrognathia occurred in 0.005% of nearly 20 million births; 4% underwent mandibular surgery during admission.
  • Early mandibular surgery was associated with cleft palate, apnea, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and prolonged mechanical ventilation.
  • Intubation and tracheostomy were not significantly associated with early mandibular surgery.

Conclusions:

  • Long mechanical ventilation, apnea, cleft palate, and OSA are key indicators for considering early mandibular surgery in infants with micrognathia.
  • These findings aid clinicians in standardizing indications for procedures like mandibular distraction osteogenesis.
  • Early surgical intervention can potentially mitigate breathing and feeding challenges in affected newborns.
Abstract

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