The roentgencephalograms of 278 infants with unoperated cleft lip and/or palate were analyzed to see if the cleft types differ. These cleft types consisted of 36 incomplete unilateral cleft lip,46 incomplete unilateral cleft lip and alveolus,41 complete unilateral cleft lip and alveolus,11 incomplete bilateral cleft lip and alveolus,21incomplete unilateral cleft lip, alveolus and palate,84 complete unilateral cleft lip, alveolus and palate,12incomplete bilateral cleft lip, alveolus and palate, and 27 complete bilateral cleft lip, alveolus and palate.
Angular and linear measurements from the lateral and P-A X-ray headfilms, height, weight, and age were used to evaluate the craniofacial morphology by multivariate analysis. The results were as follows:
1. The data were subjected to a stepwise discriminant function analysis using the original thirty-three variables. Thirteen variables were selected as the best discriminators. In those variables, the length of the cranium (S-N, N-Ba) and the height of maxilla (Or⊥SN, Or⊥AnsPns) correlated reasonably well with the general body size.
2. Orbital, nasal and maxillary arch breadths from the P-A X-ray headfilms were wider in CLAP group than in CLA group. In CLA group, nasal and maxillary arch breadths of the cleft lip and alveolus were broader tha n in incomplete unilateral cleft lip.
3. There was a deficiency in maxillary forward growth in CLAP group without complete bilateral cleft lip, alveolus and palate.
4. The downward growth of the posterior limit of the maxillary base was inhibited in CLAP group compared to the CLA group.
5. The long axis of the upper deciduous incisor with sella-nasioh line inclined lingually in the clefts of the cleft lip, alveolus and/or palate compared to incomplete unilateral cleft lip.
6. The comparsion of craniofacial morphology in different cleft types indicated that the great similariry in general facial shape was found among the incomplete unilateral, complete unilateral and incomplete bilatera l cleft lip, alveolus and palate
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