268 - Oral Airway Volumes in Pediatric Cleft Patients

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if there are any differences between oral airway volume in patients with and without complete unilateral cleft lip and palate.

Methods: A retrospective review was drawn from a sample of patients seen by the craniofacial team at Children’s Medical Center Dallas. Inclusion criteria included: healthy children, between 6-14 years old, unilateral complete cleft lip and palate, who have had a computed tomography (CBCT) scan. By utilizing CBCT data with Dolphin 3D software, the oral airway volume of these patients was determined. These volumes were compared to the accepted literature values of healthy children in the same age ranges who do not have complete unilateral cleft lip and palate.

Results: Thirty-one patients were included in the study and were stratified by age into three groups. Group 1 consisted of patients aged 6-8, Group 2 consisted of patients aged 9-11, and Group 3 consisted of patients aged 12-14. For Groups 1 and 2, there was no significant difference between the average value compared to the literature value. For Group 3, the average value was significantly different compared to the literature value (P-value <.03).

Conclusions: Unilateral cleft lip and palate patients in the age range of 12-14 years have a significantly smaller airway volume compared to patients of the same age without cleft lip and palate. Larger data set needed to determine if there are significant differences in airway volumes for patients in other age ranges.