The Use of a Rotterdam Palatal Distractor for a Congenital Myopathy Patient: A Case Report

Abstract

We report the case of a patient with congenital myopathy who was surgically treated with rapid palatal expansion using a Rotterdam Palatal Distractor (RPD) for the narrow maxillary arch. The patient was a 20-year-old female showing skeletal Class II, accompanied by hypogrowth of the upper and lower jaws. The patient had a high arched palate, open bite, and narrow maxillary arch. We performed rapid lateral expansion using an RPD, which is a small rapid expansion device without bone screws that allows bone fixation. An improvement of overjet in the molar region, increase in the intermolar width, and improvement of the tongue space were achieved. The results suggest that surgery involving rapid lateral expansion using an RPD is an appropriate treatment for patients with open bite in the anterior region accompanying a narrow dental arch and palate.