ABSTRACT
The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the most effective and least morbid surgical technique for relieving retroglossal airway obstruction in infants with Robin sequence (RS). The study adhered to PRISMA guidelines and included 25 studies (24 cohorts and one case series) that investigated interventions for airway improvement, including conservative measures, tongue-lip adhesion (TLA), mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO), and tracheostomy. The primary outcome variable was complication rate, while predictor variable was the use of interventions for airway improvement. Results showed that conservative measures were the preferred initial management strategy in most studies, while TLA was recommended for infants with mild obstruction, and MDO or tracheostomy was reserved for severe cases. Only complications could be analysed via meta-analysis due to data heterogeneity, revealing that tracheostomy had a summary odds ratio of 5.39 in favour of TLA, while MDO had a ratio of 2.8 over TLA, and the complication rates were similar between MDO and tracheostomy. If conservative measures fail, the study recommends mandibular distraction as the preferable technique for stable airway improvement. If the infant is unsuitable for distraction, tongue-lip adhesion may serve as an alternative, while tracheostomy should be reserved for cases of severe multi-level obstruction. The authors propose that large-scale, multicentre trials comparing long-term outcomes are required to establish definitive guidelines.
Subject(s)
Airway Obstruction , Osteogenesis, Distraction , Pierre Robin Syndrome , Humans , Pierre Robin Syndrome/surgery , Pierre Robin Syndrome/complications , Airway Obstruction/surgery , Airway Obstruction/etiology , Infant , Osteogenesis, Distraction/methods , Tracheostomy , Postoperative Complications , Treatment Outcome , Tongue/surgery , Lip/surgery , Mandible/surgeryABSTRACT
The fibular free flap is most frequently used for reconstructing the mandible owing to the adequate length of the bone with a reliable blood supply. It has a long vascular pedicle with adequate vessel diameter for anastomosis and also a good amount of skin paddle for coverage. However, the reports of post-operative complications at the donor site among pediatric patients are scarce in the literature. We present a pediatric case of ankle valgus deformity following vascularized fibular harvest.
