title: [Growth analysis of experimentally-induced unilateral premature fusion of the coronal suture in rat].
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of early fixation of the coronal suture on the skeletal growth pattern of maxillary complex in rat. Rats were sacrificed at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks after operation and their dryskulls were prepared. Computerized images of dorsoventral cephalograms were measured and analyzed statistically. The left coronal suture in the experimental group was fixed with cyanoacrylate adhesive at 4 days old, and the rats were fed with hard diet after weaning. Their snout bent towards the operated side 4 weeks after operation and then had a tendency to grow back towards the mid line. The left palatine bone was the most affected in the maxillary complex. There were no specific findings in the maxilla. Catch up growth of the left palatine and premaxillary bone was found 4 weeks after operation. On the other hand, this catch up growth was hardly found in another experimental group, which upper and lower incisor edges were trimmed every other day and received a soft diet. A number of direct measurements on the palatine and the premaxillary bone indicated compensatory growth following the changing masticatory function such as incisor edges trimming and diet difference. It was concluded that functional effects of incisal occlusion might suppress skeletal deformity formed with unilateral coronal synostosis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Maxillo-Facial/Neck Reconstruction, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Itoh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D003393:Cranial Sutures / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008437:Maxilla / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley