title: Extreme microstomia in an 8-month-old infant: bilateral commissuroplasty using rhomboid buccal mucosa flaps.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A case of extreme microstomia in an 8-month-old infant is presented. As a result of caustic acid ingestion at the age of a few weeks, the male infant developed progressive stricture of the perioral region preventing him from normal food intake.
  
  
  METHODS
  The patient was treated by bilateral commissurotomies and a total of 4 rhomboid flaps based in the buccal mucosa.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We were able to enlarge the mouth aperture and subsequently cover the created soft tissue defects, with good esthetic result. The patient learned to suck the feeding bottle and was able to demonstrate oral dynamics, including laughing and crying.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We present our surgical technique, the postoperative functional and esthetic outcome, and a brief literature review. Only few publications deal with the same matter and none with a similar life-threatening case.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Burn Center, BG-Trauma Center, Eberhard-Karl University of Tübingen, Schnarrenbergstr. 95, 72076 Tübingen, Germany. patrickjaminet@googlemail.com
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jaminet
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Werdin
authors.forename: Armin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kraus
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pfau
authors.forename: Hans-Eberhard
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Schaller
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Nektarios
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sinis