Three-dimensional analysis of pharyngeal airway change of skeletal class III patients in cone beam computed tomography after bimaxillary surgery

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the 3-dimensional changes in the pharyngeal airway of skeletal class III patients after bimaxillary surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study sample consisted of 18 Korean patients that had undergone maxillary setback or posterosuperior movement and mandibular bilateral sagittal split osteotomy setback surgery due to skeletal class III malocclusion (8 males, 10 females; mean age of 28.7). Cone beam computed tomography was taken 1 month before and 6 months after orthognathic surgery. Preoperative and postoperative volumes of the nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, and laryngopharyngeal airways and minimum axial areas of the oropharyngeal and laryngopharyngeal spaces were measured. Moreover, the pharyngeal airway volume of the patient group that had received genioplasty advancement was compared with the other group that had not. RESULTS: The nasopharyngeal and laryngopharyngeal spaces did not show significant differences before or after surgery. However, the oropharyngeal space volume and total volume of pharyngeal airway decreased significantly (P<0.05). The minimum axial area of the oropharynx also decreased significantly. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that bimaxillary surgery decreased the volume and the minimum axial area of the oropharyngeal space. Advanced genioplasty did not seem to have a significant effect on the volumes of the oropharyngeal and laryngopharyngeal spaces.

Ankle Syndesmotic Injury / 대한족부족관절학회지

Ankle injuries may involve the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis and can be associated with a variable degree of trauma to the soft tissue and osseous structures that play an important role in ankle joint stability. Ankle syndesmotic injury may occur solely as a soft tissue injury or in association with variable ankle fractures. Ankle syndesmotic injury does not necessarily lead to ankle instability; however, the coexistence of deltoid ligament injury critically destabilizes the ankle joint. The prevalence of these injuries may be higher than previously reported. The diagnosis of syndesmotic injury as not always easy because isolated ankle sprains may be missed in the absence of a frank diastasis and syndesmotic instability may be unnoticed in the presence of bimalleolar ankle fractures. Controversies arise at almost every phase of treatment includings : type of fixation(screw size, type of implant), number of cortices required for fixation and of need for hardware removal. Regardless of controversies, the most important goal should be restore and maintain the normal tibiofibular relationship to allow for healing of the ligamentous structures of the syndesmosis.

Soft tissue changes of upper lip and nose following posterosuperior rotation of the maxilla by Le Fort I osteotomy

INTRODUCTION: This study evaluate the soft tissue changes to the upper lip and nose after Le Fort I maxillary posterosuperior rotational movement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty Skeletal class III patients, who had undergone bimaxillary surgery with a maxillary Le Fort I osteotomy and bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy, were included in the study. The surgical plan for maxilla was posterosuperior rotational movement, with the rotation center in the anterior nasal spine (ANS) of maxilla. Soft and hard tissue changes were measured by evaluating the lateral cephalograms obtained prior to surgery and at least 6 months after surgery. For cephalometric analysis, four hard tissue landmarks ANS, posterior nasal spine [PNS], A point, U1 tip), and five soft tissue landmarks (pronasale [Pn], subnasale [Sn], A' Point, upper lip [UL], stomion superius [StmS]) were marked. A paired t test, Pearson's correlation analysis and linear regression analysis were used to evaluate the soft and hard tissue changes and assess the correlation. A P value <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: The U1 tip moved 2.52+/-1.54 mm posteriorly in the horizontal plane (P<0.05). Among the soft tissue landmarks, Pn moved 0.97+/-1.1 mm downward (P<0.05), UL moved 1.98+/-1.58 mm posteriorly (P<0.05) and 1.18+/-1.85 mm inferiorly (P<0.05), and StmS moved 1.68+/-1.48 mm posteriorly (P<0.05) and 1.06+/-1.29 mm inferiorly (P<0.05). The ratios of horizontal soft tissue movement to the hard tissue were 1:0.47 for the A point and A' point, and 1:0.74 for the U1 tip and UL. Vertically, the movement ratio between the A point and A' point was 1:0.38, between U1 tip and UL was 1:0.83, and between U1 tip and StmS was 1:0.79. CONCLUSION: Posterosuperior rotational movement of the maxilla in Le Fort I osteotomy results in posterior and inferior movement of UL. In addition, nasolabial angle was increased. Nasal tip and base of the nose showed a tendency to move downward and showed significant horizontal movement. The soft tissue changes in the upper lip and nasal area are believed to be induced by posterior movement at the UL area.

Eagle's Syndrome Presenting Unilateral Facial Nerve Palsy: Case Report

The Electrophysiological Features in a Patient with Acute Organophosphate Intoxication

Acute organophosphate intoxication has characteristic electrophysiological features, which include repetitive potentials in nerve conduction studies and decrement (or decrement-increment) responses in repetitive nerve stimulation tests. We experienced a patient who presented with abdominal discomfort, followed by cardiac arrest and then showed motor weakness. The electrophysiological studies revealed decrement responses which were characteristic features of acute organophosphate intoxication. We report clinical and electrophysiological features of acute organophosphate intoxication followed with a literature review.