Hyoid bone abnormalities in Pierre Robin patients

Abstract

Hyoid bone abnormalities have not been previously documented in association with Pierre Robin Sequence. Using three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions of helical computed tomography scans, we examined the hyoid bones of neonates affected with Pierre Robin Sequence and compared them to helical scans of unaffected controls. Severe hyoid bone abnormalities were observed in 7/28 cases, and mild abnormalities in another 16. The presence of severe abnormalities was significantly associated with swallowing dysfunction, while none of the neonates affected with Stickler's syndrome were observed to have severe hyoid abnormalities. The significance of these findings is unknown. Clinicians should be aware of these abnormalities because of the wide availability of 3D reformats.