1. The effect of combined surgery and physiotherapy on the facial asymmetry in patients with congenital muscular torticollis: a retrospective cohort study.
- Author
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Beek DM, van Vlimmeren L, Bruggink R, Pelsma M, Xi T, and Nienhuijs M
- Subjects
- Humans, Male, Female, Retrospective Studies, Treatment Outcome, Child, Preschool, Infant, Combined Modality Therapy, Child, Imaging, Three-Dimensional methods, Photography, Adolescent, Torticollis congenital, Torticollis surgery, Torticollis therapy, Facial Asymmetry surgery, Facial Asymmetry therapy, Physical Therapy Modalities
- Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the influence of surgical therapy, intraoperative evaluation, and immediate physiotherapy on the facial asymmetry of patients with congenital muscular torticollis (CMT). Patients who underwent a combination of unipolar sternocleidomastoid muscle release with perioperative physiotherapy between 2014 and 2020 in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen were enrolled. Three-dimensional photographs of the face acquired 2 months preoperatively and 1.5-2 years postoperatively were assessed. Based on 43 patients, there was a significant improvement in the asymmetry indices (angles between bilateral exocanthion, bilateral cheilion, and nasion-gnathion lines): mean ± standard deviation reductions in indices (Ex-Ex)-(Ch-Ch), (Ex-Ex)-(Na-Gn), and (Ch-Ch)-(Na-Gn) of 0.88 ± 1.08° (P < 0.001), 1.04 ± 1.26° (P < 0.001), and 0.21 ± 1.06° (P = 0.024), respectively. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that intervention at an early age (P = 0.017) and left-sided torticollis (P = 0.030) were associated with a significantly greater improvement in the facial asymmetry. This study found that the use of combined surgery and physiotherapy reduced the facial asymmetry of patients with CMT at 2 years postoperatively. Early intervention and left-sided torticollis were associated with a greater improvement in the facial asymmetry. This indicates that attention should be given to early intervention and right-sided CMT cases postoperatively., Competing Interests: Competing interests None. R. Bruggink is the developer of 3DMedX which was used in the analysis in this study., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
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