A novel method for evaluating postsurgical results of unilateral cleft lip and palate with the use of Hausdorff distance: presurgical orthopedic treatment improves nasal symmetry after primary cheiloplasty.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate surgery results, we established a novel method to digitize nasal morphology with the use of Hausdorff distance and analyzed nose morphology after cheiloplasty.


METHODS
We evaluated the naris after primary cheiloplasty of 30 unilateral cleft lip and palate patients. Similarity between left and right sides was assessed by visual evaluation, area ratio, perimeter ratio, aspect a/u ratio, and Hausdorff distance. The postoperative naris morphology was also compared between 15 patients treated with a Hotz plate before surgery and 15 not treated.


RESULTS
Significant correlation with visual evaluation was found for Hausdorff distance. For the groups with and without Hotz plate treatment, the visual evaluation was higher and Hausdorff distance significantly lower in the treated group.


CONCLUSIONS
The morphologic measurement obtained using the Hausdorff distance was the closest to visual evaluation, and assessment using Hausdorff distance suggested that using a Hotz plate helps retain the symmetry of the nares after cheiloplasty.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Division of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
Rei
R
Karube
Hiroyoshi
H
Sasaki
Shinji
S
Togashi
Toru
T
Yanagawa
Shizuo
S
Nakane
Naomi
N
Ishibashi
Kenji
K
Yamagata
Kojiro
K
Onizawa
Koji
K
Adachi
Katsuhiko
K
Tabuchi
Mitsuru
M
Sekido
Hiroki
H
Bukawa
D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000601:surgery*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000379:methods*