TRIGONOCEPHALY-ASSOCIATED HYPOTELORISM - IS TREATMENT NECESSARY

This study was designed to examine whether hypotelorism associated wit h trigonocephaly might be self-correcting. Only patients who required surgical treatment and had undergone preoperative and postoperative an thropometric measurements were included. In no case was any attempt ma de to correct the hypotelorism surgically. The study sample consisted of 16 patients, of whom 10 underwent preoperative and postoperative co mputed tomography in addition to anthropometric examinations. The resu lts were compared with sex- and age-matched pooled normal standards, c onverted to standard Z scores, and analyzed by means of Student's t te sts. Both intercanthal and interorbital widths increased significantly postoperatively, with improvements in Delta Z scores of 0.445 (p less than or equal to 0.01) and 0.638 (p less than or equal to 0.05). Thes e increases exceeded average growth increments by 1.6 mm for intercant hal width and 1.3 mm for interorbital width. Improvement in the interc anthal widths was significantly greater in the more severely affected children than in those whose conditions were less severe. A greater im provement in interorbital width also was noted in children treated at less than 6 months of age compared with those treated later. The young er the patient at surgery, the greater was the improvement, suggesting that early surgery may somehow release a constraint on interorbital g rowth.