Concurrent Growth of Craniofacial Structures and the Aerodigestive Tract of Human Infants: Clinical Applications

Abstract

Vital changes in form and function occur during the first four months of human postnatal life that allow for coordination of breathing and swallowing. These changes involve modifications in the gross anatomy of the skull, face and aerodigestive tract (ADT) structures, vocal fold histology, laryngeal chemoreflexes, formant frequency acoustics, audio pattern recognition, and limb control. Precise identification of ADT clinicopathologies that occur in this timeframe is essential to focusing the direction of this study. We here describe conditions with high incidence in infants from 0-4 months affecting growth and function of the ADT, skull, and craniofacial structures. Amongst the most noticeable are obstructive sleep apnea, sudden infant death syndrome, otitis media, cleft lip and palate and craniosynostosis. We also discuss clinical procedures and surgical techniques involved in elective and emergency treatments, including endotracheal intubation and surgical reconstructions of craniofacial structures. This study is part of a larger project charting the growth of skull and ADT structures from MRI images of infants from 0-4 months. Our hypothesis is that these structures develop with regularity, allowing for predictability and determination of normal growth trajectories. Better understanding of functional morphologic relationships between skull and ADT during this window of development may contribute to improving recognition, assessment, and treatment strategies/techniques for these conditions. Grant Funding Sources: American Association of Anatomists – AAA National Counsel of Technological Development – CNPq