The Role of the Nasal Septum in Midfacial Growth in man Elucidated by the Maxillary Development in Certain Types of Facial Clefts: A Preliminary Report

Abstract

Four cases of a rare cleft variant, viz. bilateral clefts of the primary palate in combination with an apparently normal secondary palate, have been studied preliminarily. In two infant cases a complete disjunction between the nasal septum/vomer and the clinically normal secondary palate has been proved presurgically. In two adult cases in which no hard tissue junction between the nasal septum and the secondary palate could be ascertained by tomography, the occlusal development and facial growth appear to have attained a final morphology well within the normal ranges of variation. These four cases are taken as evidence that the nasal septum does not play any influential role in either pre- or in post-natal growth of the maxillary complex in man. The morphology of different variants of the described cleft deformity is discussed, as well as observations reported on in the literature which appear to concern cases similar to our series and support our conclusions.