3-D analysis of facial asymmetry in children with hip dysplasia

Abstract

To determine whether facial asymmetry existed in patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Subjects consisted of children between ages 5 and 10 years having DDH, and treated by the Von Rosen splint method. Three-dimensional (3-D) facial photographs were taken on all subjects using the 3dMDface system. Using RF6 PP2 software, anthropometric landmarks were plotted and used to calculate asymmetry based on 3-D coordinates in a reference framework. Of a total of 60 subjects with a mean age of 8 years (SD, 1.4 years), 30 had dysplasia of the left hip; 13, of the right; and 17 were bilateral. Twenty-seven subjects had upper face (UF) dominance values of 2 mm or more; of those, 26 were right-side dominant. Twenty-four subjects (40%) had a chin-point (CP) deviation of 2 mm or more; of those, 21 had right-side deviations. Statistically, UF and CP deviations were not significantly independent of each other (P > .05). Thirty percent of subjects had a posterior dental crossbite. The results indicate that facial asymmetry exists in patients with DDH.