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The study aimed to: (1) compare the occurrence of postoperative respiratory difficulties (PRD) following primary cleft palate repair (CPR) in infants with an isolated cleft palate (iCP) and infants with Robin sequence (RS), and (2) describe the possible benefit of preoperative analysis with palatal plate in infants with RS. All consecutive infants with an iCP and infants with RS who underwent CPR between January 2009 and June 2022 in the Wilhelmina Children's Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 127 infants were included of which 74 infants with an iCP and 53 infants with RS. The group of infants with RS consisted of 35 infants with non-isolated RS (niRS) and 18 infants with isolated RS (iRS). Significant more PRD were seen in infants with RS compared to infants with an iCP (14/53 versus 9/74; p = 0.04). Especially infants with niRS have a significant higher risk of developing PRD in comparison with infants with an iCP (OR = 4.16, 95% CI [1.17-15.99], p = 0.031). The preoperative palatal plate screening in infants with RS (n = 25) did not show abnormalities and had no effect on the perioperative policy. Within the limitations of this study it seems that infants with niRS are more prone to develop PRD following primary CPR when compared to infants with iRS or an iCP. No clear benefit was found in postponing surgery until 12 months or later in infants with RS to avoid PRD. The preoperative palatal plate screening did not demonstrate signs of UAO in infants with RS that developed PRD. These findings suggest that preoperative analysis with palatal plate has a low predictive value., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of tongue-lip adhesion (TLA) on the long-term speech and articulation outcomes of patients with Robin sequence (RS) after cleft palate repair. Outcomes were compared to those in patients with RS who required positioning alone and to patients with isolated cleft palate (ICP). All consecutive patients with RS (with or without TLA) versus isolated cleft palate (ICP) who underwent cleft palate repair were retrospectively reviewed. Speech and articulation included all assessments between the age of 3-6 years. Secondary speech operations, velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI), hypernasality, and articulation errors by cleft-type characteristics (CTC), including 4 categories (passive), non-oral, anterior-oral, and posterior-oral. A total of 41 RS patients and 61 ICP patients underwent repair with sufficient follow-up. Of them, 23 patients underwent a TLA at median age of 12 days. Rates of hypernasality (p = 0.004), secondary speech operations (p = 0.004), and posterior oral CTC (p = 0.042) were higher in RS compared to ICP. Isolated RS had speech outcomes similar to those of ICP; however, syndromic RS patients needed more secondary speech operations compared to isolated RS (p = 0.043). TLA-RS patients did not demonstrate differences in speech outcomes or any CTCs (all p > 0.05) compared to non-TLA-RS patients, except for the anterior oral CTC (74% TLA-RS vs 28% non-TLA-RS, p = 0.005). Within the limitations of the study, it seem that TLA does not affect long-term velopharyngeal function in patients with RS. However, TLA-RS patients demonstrated higher rates of anterior-oral CTC, which might be related to a different positioning of the tongue after TLA. Every effort should be taken to treat patients with RS conservatively instead of with TLA because of this demonstrated a negative effect on one type of articulation error. However, if conservative therapy fails, a TLA is still a valuable adjunct in the treatment of RS, and cleft speech pathologists who treat such patients should be more aware of this phenomenon in order to improve long-term articulation outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None of the authors report any conflicts of interest. None of the authors have a financial interest in any of the products, devices, or drugs mentioned in this article., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Robin sequence (RS) is diagnosed in infants born with micrognathia, glossoptosis and varying degrees of upper airway obstruction (UAO). Due to the variable levels of hypoxia, severe breathing and feeding problems can occur. Treatment is determined by clinical severity, ranging from conservative interventions for mild cases to surgical interventions for severe cases. Mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO) is a surgical technique that gradually lengthens the mandible after an osteotomy by using an internal or external distraction device, directly correcting the micrognathia. This review will focus on advantages and disadvantages of mandibular distraction in infants with RS., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Study Objectives: Identifying optimal treatment for infants with Robin sequence (RS) is challenging due to substantial variability in the presentation of upper airway obstruction (UAO) in this population. Objective assessments of UAO and treatments are not standardized. A systematic review of objective measures of UAO was conducted as a step toward evidence-based clinical decision-making for RS., Methods: A literature search was performed in the PubMed and Embase databases (1990-2020) following PRISMA guidelines. Articles reporting on RS and UAO treatment were included if the following objective measures were studied: oximetry, polysomnography, and blood gas. Quality was appraised by the methodological index for nonrandomized studies (range: 0-24)., Results: A total of 91 articles met the inclusion criteria. The mean methodological index for nonrandomized studies score was 7.1 (range: 3-14). Polysomnography was most frequently used (76%) followed by oximetry (20%) and blood gas (11%). Sleep position of the infant was reported in 35% of studies, with supine position most frequently, and monitoring time in 42%, including overnight recordings, in more than half. Of 71 studies that evaluated UAO interventions, the majority used polysomnography (90%), of which 61% did not specify the polysomnography technique. Reported polysomnography metrics included oxygen saturation (61%), apnea-hypopnea index (52%), carbon dioxide levels (31%), obstructive apnea-hypopnea index (27%), and oxygen desaturation index (16%). Only 42 studies reported indications for UAO intervention, with oximetry and polysomnography thresholds used equally (both 40%). In total, 34 distinct indications for treatment were identified., Conclusions: This systematic review demonstrates a lack of standardization, interpretation, and reporting of assessment and treatment indications for UAO in RS. An international, multidisciplinary consensus protocol is needed to guide clinicians on optimal UAO assessment in RS., Citation: Logjes RJH, MacLean JE, de Cort NW, et al. Objective measurements for upper airway obstruction in infants with Robin sequence: what are we measuring? A systematic review. J Clin Sleep Med . 2021;17(8):1717-1729., (© 2021 American Academy of Sleep Medicine.)

Purpose: Velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) is common (20-30%) after cleft palate closure. The myomucosal buccinator flap has become an important treatment option for velopharyngeal insufficiency; however, published studies all use bilateral buccinator flaps. This study assesses outcomes with a unilateral myomucosal buccinator flap that might result in less operating time and might prevent the need of a bite block and an extra procedure for division of the flap pedicle at a later stage., Materials and Methods: Forty-two consecutive patients who underwent a unilateral myomucosal buccinator flap procedure were retrospectively reviewed. Overall clinical judgment of speech, speech analysis, and velopharyngeal closure were evaluated by a multidisciplinary cleft palate team., Results: Median follow-up was 1.2 years. In 83% of patients, overall clinical judgment of optimal speech was obtained and thus no further velopharyngeal surgery was necessary. In 7 patients, further surgery was necessary, of whom 57% (4/7) had bilateral cleft lip-palate. Mean level of intelligibility improved significantly as evaluated by speech pathologists (2.5 ± 0.9 vs 3.5 ± 0.9; P < 0.0001) and by parents (2.1 ± 0.9 vs 3.2 ± 0.7; P < 0.0001). Mean level of resonance improved significantly (0.7 ± 0.9 vs 2.0 ± 1.0; P < 0.0001), and velopharyngeal closure improved in 83% postoperatively., Conclusion: The unilateral myomucosal buccinator flap seems to be an effective and safe procedure and should become part of the armamentarium of cleft surgeons., (Copyright © 2016 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)