Surgical treatment for sleep apnea: changes in craniofacial and pharyngeal airway morphology in a child with achondroplasia

Abstract

Here, we report the case of a male child with achondroplasia who was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and underwent adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy. By analyzing lateral cephalograms, we evaluated the craniofacial and pharyngeal airway morphology immediately before surgery (age, 5 years 6 months) and 1 year 2 months after surgery (age, 6 years 8 months). Adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy dilated the pharynx and improved the craniofacial and pharyngeal morphologies, apparently thus improving the sleep apnea. (J. Oral Sci. 49, 173-177, 2007)