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Published on: October 20, 2023
Medium-term effects of rapid maxillary expansion on nasal cavity and pharyngeal airway volumes considering age as a
Vincenzo Ronsivalle1, Rosalia Leonardi2, Manuel Lagravere3
1Department of General Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialties, Section of Oral Surgery, University of Catania, Policlinico Universitario "Gaspare Rodolico - San Marco", Via Santa Sofia 78, 95123, Catania, Italy.
Objectives:
The medium-term effects of rapid maxillary expansion (RME) on nasal cavity (NC) and upper airway (UA) dimensions based on chronological age are still unclear. This retrospective study evaluated the medium-term changes occurring in the NC and pharyngeal airways (PA) after RME in two distinct age-based cohorts of patients.
Methods:
This retrospective study included 48 subjects who underwent RME grouped in two cohorts: a 6-9-year-old group (EEG group: early expansion group - 25 subjects) and an 11-14-year-old group (LEG group: late expansion group - 23 subjects). NC and PA volumes were analyzed from CBCT imaging segmentation before RME (T0) and twelve months after RME (T1). The amount of maxillary expansion (PW) and minimal cross-sectional area (CSmin) were also considered.
Results:
All PAs' volumetric sub-regions, CSmin and PW showed a significant volumetric increment (p < 0.05). Inter-group comparisons showed significant differences (p < 0.05) for nasopharynx and CSmin parameters (p < 0.05), while no significant changes were recorded for the other UA's sub-regions and PW (p > 0.05). According to a deviation analysis, part of the UA increase (more marked for the nasopharynx area) may have occurred due to reduced adenotonsillar tissues, which were larger in the EEG group.
Conclusions:
Twelve months after treatment, clinicians should not expect changes in the UAs dimensions to be solely related to treatment effects of RME; instead, normal craniofacial growth changes and spontaneous regression of the adenotonsillar tissue could represent the most significant factors influencing UAs changes.
Clinical Significance:
From the clinical perspective, the results of the present study encourage caution when considering the therapeutic effects of RME on airways dimensions.
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