Otofacial syndrome
This article needs more medical references for verification or relies too heavily on primary sources. (July 2018) |
Otofacial syndrome is an extraordinarily rare congenital deformity in which a person is born without a mandible, and, consequently, without a chin.
In nearly all cases, the child does not survive because it is unable to breathe and eat properly. Even with reconstructive surgery, the tongue is extremely underdeveloped, making unaided breathing and swallowing impossible.
Cause[edit | edit source]
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (September 2017) |
Treatment[edit | edit source]
The first challenge to survival is assisted breathing and tubal feeding. This is a lifelong affair, generally requiring the patient to spend nearly all of the time under direct hospital care.
American surgeons successfully used bone from the hip of an Irish teenager named Alan Doherty to rebuild a jaw and chin. Surgeons began the procedures in June 2007 and completed the final of seven surgeries on 25 August 2008. Doherty is now able to smile, but is still unable to breathe, eat, or speak on his own.[1][2]
References[edit | edit source]
Navigation: Wellness - Encyclopedia - Health topics - Disease Index - Drugs - World Directory - Gray's Anatomy - Keto diet - Recipes
Search WikiMD
Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) available.
Advertise on WikiMD
WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full disclaimer.
Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.
- Pages with TemplateStyles errors
- Articles needing additional medical references from July 2018
- Articles with invalid date parameter in template
- All articles needing additional references
- Articles requiring reliable medical sources
- Articles to be expanded from September 2017
- All articles to be expanded
- Articles with empty sections from September 2017
- All articles with empty sections
- Articles using small message boxes
- Congenital disorders of eye, ear, face and neck
- Syndromes affecting the tongue
- Syndromes affecting the jaw
- All stub articles
- Disease stubs
- Human reproduction stubs
Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD