Effect of Rapid Maxillary Expansion on Upper Airway Morphology: A Retrospective Comparison of Normal Patients versus Patients with Enlarged Adenoid Tissue

Objectives The present study evaluated the effect of rapid maxillary expansion (RME) on the morphology of the upper airway (UA) by calculating cross-sectional areas and volumes and comparing the effect in patients with a normal-sized adenoid with the effect in patients with an enlarged adenoid. Study design: Seventeen patients met the inclusion criteria. We constructed 3D models of the UA on cone-beam computed tomography images to calculate cross-sectional areas and volumes at the levels of the nasopharyngeal, retropalatal, and retroglossal airways. Patients were divided into two groups: group 1 was comprised of patients with an adenoidal nasopharyngeal (AN) ratio < 0.6 and group 2 with an AN ratio ≥ 0.6. Paired samples t-tests assessed any area and volumetric changes of the UA after RME. Changes in degree of nasal obstruction, calculated as the AN ratio, was then compared for the two groups. An independent samples t-test compared volumetric changes in the nasopharynx between the two groups before and after RME.

Results Changes in cross-sectional areas and volumes of the UA due to RME were not significant. The effects of RME on AN ratio (11 % vs 0 %) and nasopharyngeal volume (36.8 % vs 5.97%) were somewhat larger in group 2 patients who had adenoid-associated nasal obstruction compared with group 1 patients with a normal-sized adenoid; however, the differences were not significant. Conclusions After RME, the patients with an enlarged adenoid had more increases in nasopharyngeal volume compared with those with normal adenoid, despite there was no significant difference.

Adenoid hypertrophy; Upper airway; Rapid maxillary expansion; 3D

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