Follow‐up study of nasal deformity in cleft lip and palate patients: Morphological changes and image analysis with growth

Abstract

AbstractPurposeThere are no long‐term reports on morphologic changes of nasal deformity in patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP). This retrospective study was conducted to clarify changes in the nose morphology of patients with CLP.Materials and MethodsWe investigated 47 patients in our department. The evaluation time was as follows: T1 (before or after attending elementary school), T2 (after puberty growth), and T3 (after rhinoplasty). We evaluated the dorsal nose deviation angle, the nasal tip angle, and the nasolabial angle with standardized facial photographs, and nasal septum with computed tomography (CT) images. Computer software ImageJ was used for measurements. For statistical analysis, the Mann‐Whitney U test was used (significance level; P < 0.05).ResultsAnalysis showed that in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP), twisted nose and reduction of the nasolabial angle became more prominent after puberty. In patients with bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP), the nasal tip was larger than in patients with UCLP and tended to be directed upward. The nasolabial angle in BCLP was more obtuse than the general mean value, but that in UCLP tended to be more acute. CT showed that in UCLP patients, the nasal septum was displaced toward the affected side, and the inferior nasal turbinate on the unaffected side was thickened. Nasal septum deviation was less severe in BCLP patients.ConclusionsUCLP and BCLP patients showed different nasal morphology at T1 and they grew differently from T1 to T2.