Prince M E, Nasser J G, Pass B B
Department of Otolaryngology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
J Otolaryngol. 1997 Oct;26(5):306-15.
The process of postnatal growth and development of the face and skull is of major interest to otolaryngologists. Surgery is often considered as an option for the treatment of benign and malignant tumours, traumatic facial deformities, and congenital abnormalities of the head and neck in children and adolescents. The extent of surgery and the type of reconstruction is frequently influenced by concerns about the potential effect on future craniofacial growth. Surgery is also sometimes recommended as a method to influence facial growth as in tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for 'adenoid facies syndrome.' There are a number of different theories concerning the factors that influence the growth of the face and cranium. None of these is universally accepted. The predominant theory is the functional matrix theory. This study was designed to evaluate the validity of this theory in an animal model. A new animal model had to be developed to perform the study. This pilot study was then conducted.
A laryngotracheal separation procedure was performed on juvenile goats. This effectively eliminated the use of the upper airway by the animals, thereby removing one of the major functional matrices from the model. The animals were allowed to grow. A control group was used, and comparisons were made between the two groups.
The results of the study suggest that the functional matrix theory is not valid in this experimental model.
Further research is required to confirm this finding. This would have important implications for our understanding of the biology of craniofacial growth and have clinical ramifications for otolaryngologists and other clinicians with an interest in the head and neck.
面部和颅骨的出生后生长发育过程是耳鼻喉科医生主要关注的内容。手术常被视为治疗儿童和青少年良性及恶性肿瘤、外伤性面部畸形以及头颈部先天性异常的一种选择。手术范围和重建类型常常受到对未来颅面生长潜在影响的担忧的影响。手术有时也被推荐作为影响面部生长的一种方法，如因“腺样体面容综合征”而进行的扁桃体切除术和腺样体切除术。关于影响面部和颅骨生长的因素有许多不同的理论。但这些理论都未被普遍接受。占主导地位的理论是功能基质理论。本研究旨在评估该理论在动物模型中的有效性。必须开发一种新的动物模型来进行这项研究。于是开展了这项初步研究。
对幼年山羊进行喉气管分离手术。这有效地消除了动物对上呼吸道的使用，从而从模型中去除了主要的功能基质之一。让动物生长。使用了一个对照组，并对两组进行比较。
研究结果表明功能基质理论在该实验模型中无效。
需要进一步研究来证实这一发现。这将对我们对面部生长生物学的理解产生重要影响，并对耳鼻喉科医生及其他对头颈部感兴趣的临床医生具有临床意义。
