Congenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis in newborn: report on three cases

Congenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis (CNPAS) is recognized as a caus e of nasal airway obstruction in the newborn. The nasal pyriform aperture i s narrowed by a bony overgrowth of the nasal process of the maxilla. The CN PAS may occur as an isolated congenital defect or in combination with other abnormalities. Three cases of CNPAS are reported with special attention to the clinical presentation and to the management recommendation prior to su rgery. Surgical repair was performed for all these three highly symptomatic patients using a sublabial approach for drilling the nasal process in orde r to obtain a wider nasal vestibular patency. All of them were equipped wit h bilateral nasal stenting.