Iván Suazo Galdames; Daniela Zavando M. & Priscila Russo

Summary

Hydrocephalus is a disorder characterized by elevated intracranial pressure of cerebrospinal fluid causes an increase in cranial volume, especially the bones of the calvaria. There is no research that considers the effects of this pathology in the development of asymmetries in bones of the skull base. The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of asymmetries in the development of some elements of the skull base and craniofacial junction. We studied 7 subadult skulls of individuals who developed hydrocephalus, from the collection of the Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, they identified the bilateral linear distance from the pharyngeal tubercle to a series of points on the skull base and craniofacial junction, calculated the asymmetry index. All skulls showed some level of asymmetry, mostly under 10%, with further development on the left side; only 1 skull presented a high level of asymmetry more than 21%. Our analysis suggests that the phase in which it develops hydrocephalus (prenatal, perinatal or postnatal) is important in the development of these asymmetries. KEY WORDS: hydrocephalus, asymmetry, craniofacial development, skull.

How to cite this article

SUAZO, G. I.; ZAVANDO, M. D. & RUSSO, P. Craniofacial asymmetries in subadults with hydrocephalus. Int. J. Odontostomat., 3(2):163-166, 2009.