Subperiosteal release of the floor of the mouth musculature in two cases of Pierre Robin sequence

Abstract

Many management approaches have been considered to relieve upper respiratory obstruction in patients with Pierre Robin sequence, but the choice of treatment is determined by the severity of the obstruction. These options include prone positioning, the use of a nasal trumpet, and surgery. One surgical technique is the subperiosteal release of the floor of the mouth musculature. The theory behind this procedure is that this musculature is under tension, and therefore it pushes the tongue upward and backward, resulting in respiratory obstruction. In theory, the release of this musculature from the mandible should alleviate the tension and hence clear the obstruction. In an attempt to objectively evaluate this theory, we performed subperiosteal release surgery on two infants. Our first patient required an emergent tracheostomy on postoperative day 2 because of the onset of surgically induced airway edema. To avoid this complication in the second patient, we performed a tracheostomy at the same time as surgery. Pre- and postoperative magnetic resonance imaging in the second patient revealed only a minimal change in the anatomy of the floor of the mouth musculature. We believe the subperiosteal release of the floor of the mouth musculature requires further evaluation before it can be considered to be effective in the surgical treatment of respiratory obstruction in Pierre Robin sequence.