Longitudinal Skeletal Growth Analysis of Mandibular Asymmetry in Unoperated Patients With Unilateral Craniofacial Microsomia (UCFM)

Purpose To examine the growth rate discrepancy of the affected and unaffected ramus heights in Pruzansky Type I and Type II mandibles. Methods This is a serial retrospective longitudinal growth study of 30 untreated patients (21 males and 9 females) with UCMF (age range from 5 years to 14 years). The mean age of patients was 8.5 years, and the mean follow-up records were 3.7 years. There were 13 patients in group I with a Pruzansky Type I mandible and 17 patients in group II with a Pruzansky Type II. The unaffected side of the mandible served as a control. Eighteen cephalometric parameters were examined at each of the two-time intervals. Results In patients with Pruzansky Type I mandible, the affected ramus grew on average 1.41 mm per year; the unaffected ramus grew 1.66 mm per year during the same period. In patients with Pruzansky Type II mandible, the affected ramus grew on average 0.84 mm per year; during the same period, unaffected ramus grew 1.79 per year. When the growth rate of the ramus height on the affected side was compared to the unaffected side, there was no statistically significant difference in Pruzansky Type I mandibles (p > .05); however, there was a statistically significant difference in the Pruzansky Type II mandibles (p