Numerical evaluation of facial pattern in children with isolated pulmonary stenosis

A facial contouring technique, using light sectioning (Cobb, 1972), was modified (Ainsworth and Joseph, 1977) and used in a numerical study of children with isolated pulmonary stenosis (PS) to test the hypothesis that the facial pattern in this condition differs from the normal. Measurements were compared between a group of 20 normal children and a group of 20 children with PS between ages 6 and 10 1/2 years. A distinctive facial pattern emerged. Many anteroposterior measurements were much greater in the PS group, indicating that the tissues were more prominent in the maxillary region. Altogether, 29 measurements showed significant differences (P less than 0.05) between the two groups. Discriminant analyses were carried out to discover which, if any, might be used to predict the group to which an individual should belong. Depending on the variables chosen, between 34 and 37 individuals from the total of 40 were assigned to the correct group--PS or control.