Congenital arhinia – First published case in Malaysia

Congenital arhinia is one of the rare craniofacial malformation that may cause severe respiratory distress at birth due to upper airway obstruction. Our patient, whose abnormalities were only detected after delivery in our centre, is the first reported case of congenital arhinia in Malaysia. Contrary to popular belief that neonates are obligate nasal breather, our patient adapted well to breathing through mouth before an elective tracheostomy was performed on day four of life.