TY - JOUR
T1 - Morphometry of the ear in north Sudanese subjects with down syndrome
T2 - A three-dimensional computerized assessment
AU - Sforza, Chiarella
AU - Elamin, Fadil
AU - Rosati, Riccardo
AU - Lucchini, Marco Alberto
AU - De Menezes, Marcio
AU - Ferrario, Virgilio F.
PY - 2011/1
Y1 - 2011/1
N2 - Down syndrome (DS) is the most frequent live-born autosomal aneuploidy in humans. Scanty data on the craniofacial phenotype of African subjects with DS have been published so far. We wanted to detail the morphologic characteristics of the ears in north Sudanese subjects with DS.The three-dimensional coordinates of 13 soft-tissue landmarks on the ears were obtained using a laser scanner in 64 north Sudanese subjects with DS aged 4 to 34 years and in 682 sex- and age-matched control subjects. From the landmarks, left and right linear distances (ear width and length), ratios (ear width-to-ear length), areas (ear area), angles (angle of the auricle vs the facial midplane), and the three-dimensional symmetry index were calculated. Distances, angles, areas, and ratios were computed. Subject and reference data were compared by computing z scores and calculating Student t tests. Ear width, length, and area were significantly (Student t test, P <0.001) smaller in the subjects with DS than in the reference subjects. On the right side of the face, the subjects with DS had larger ear width-to-ear length ratios and larger angles of the auricle versus the facial midplane than the reference subjects. The three-dimensional symmetry index was significantly larger in the reference subjects. In conclusion, ear dimensions, position, and shape significantly differed in subjects with DS when compared with sex-, age-, and ethnic group-matched control subjects.
AB - Down syndrome (DS) is the most frequent live-born autosomal aneuploidy in humans. Scanty data on the craniofacial phenotype of African subjects with DS have been published so far. We wanted to detail the morphologic characteristics of the ears in north Sudanese subjects with DS.The three-dimensional coordinates of 13 soft-tissue landmarks on the ears were obtained using a laser scanner in 64 north Sudanese subjects with DS aged 4 to 34 years and in 682 sex- and age-matched control subjects. From the landmarks, left and right linear distances (ear width and length), ratios (ear width-to-ear length), areas (ear area), angles (angle of the auricle vs the facial midplane), and the three-dimensional symmetry index were calculated. Distances, angles, areas, and ratios were computed. Subject and reference data were compared by computing z scores and calculating Student t tests. Ear width, length, and area were significantly (Student t test, P <0.001) smaller in the subjects with DS than in the reference subjects. On the right side of the face, the subjects with DS had larger ear width-to-ear length ratios and larger angles of the auricle versus the facial midplane than the reference subjects. The three-dimensional symmetry index was significantly larger in the reference subjects. In conclusion, ear dimensions, position, and shape significantly differed in subjects with DS when compared with sex-, age-, and ethnic group-matched control subjects.
KW - anthropometry
KW - Down syndrome
KW - Face
KW - soft tissues
KW - three-dimensional
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U2 - 10.1097/SCS.0b013e3181f7dd8c
DO - 10.1097/SCS.0b013e3181f7dd8c
M3 - Article
C2 - 21239923
AN - SCOPUS:79551583034
VL - 22
SP - 297
EP - 301
JO - Journal of Craniofacial Surgery
JF - Journal of Craniofacial Surgery
SN - 1049-2275
IS - 1
ER -