Video-imaging assessment of nasal morphology in individuals with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to develop a video-imaging mathematical method to assess nostril morphology.


METHODS
This retrospective study involved two age-matched groups: 28 subjects with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (CUCLP) and 19 noncleft controls. Nose casts were reproducibly oriented in a jig such that the casts could be rotated about the coronal axis. Video images of the nostrils were captured and then analyzed for area, perimeter, centroid, principal axis, moments about the major and minor axes (I11, I22), anisometry, bulkiness, lateral offset, internostril angle, and rotational angle.


RESULTS
All parameters identified nostril asymmetry in both groups. The results of the analyses using anisometry, I11, and I22 showed that, in both groups, one nostril was rounder and one was more elliptical. This asymmetry, however, differed between the two groups, and the difference was primarily based on the degree of ellipticity of the nostrils. Maximum dimension, perimeter, lateral offset, I11, and I22 were more asymmetric in the cleft group. In the control group, the right nostril was more elliptical and had a greater perimeter, and the left-side nostril had a greater bulkiness (enfolding).


CONCLUSIONS
The method developed was validated for assessment of nasal morphology in cleft and noncleft samples. Nostril morphology was asymmetric in both groups but more asymmetric in the cleft group than the control group. The dominant influence of the cleft resulted in more elliptical noncleft nostrils and greater nostril shape asymmetry in the cleft group. The validated video-imaging method can now be used to assess the efficacy of treatment on nasal morphology.
Russell
K A
KA
Division of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Kathy.Russell@Dal.ca
Waldman
S D
SD
Lee
J M
JM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002138:Calibration; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002508:Cephalometry; D002648:Child; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D008954:Models, Biological; D009666:Nose / Q000473:pathology*; D009667:Nose Deformities, Acquired / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014743:Videotape Recording