Language, articulation, voice and resonance characteristics in 4 children with Goldenhar syndrome: a pilot study

Goldenhar Syndrome: Quality-of-Life Analysis of 43 Consecutive Patients

Goldenhar syndrome is a rare congenital disease, characterized by the malformation of craniofacial features, spine, and other organs. Its pathogenesis and impact on patients' quality of life (QoL) have not been fully elucidated as yet. Therefore, data of all patients with Goldenhar syndrome, who were treated at Hannover Medical School between 1997 and 2020, were analyzed. Forty-three patients were identified. Their medical records were carefully reviewed for data regarding their age, sex, demographics, Pruzansky classification, surgical history, and affected side. Goldenhar syndrome-associated medical conditions, therapeutic procedures, and the impact of disease on QoL were assessed. Their QoL was assessed using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP)-14 questionnaire. The χ 2 test and Pearson correlation were performed for statistical evaluation. Female sex was positively correlated with OHIP outcomes, whereas male sex had a negative correlation with OHIP outcomes. Therefore, females had significantly worse QoL than males. No significant correlation was observed between the Pruzansky classification and QoL or between surgical history and QoL. Goldenhar syndrome is a rare disease that presents with varying severity. Hence, prospective studies are required to further investigate the impact of Goldenhar syndrome on the QoL.

Characterizing Speech Phenotype in Individuals With Craniofacial Microsomia: A Scoping Review

INTRODUCTION

Craniofacial microsomia (CFM) is a complex congenital condition primarily affecting the ear, mandible, facial nerve and muscles, and tongue. Individuals with CFM are at increased risk of hearing loss, obstructive sleep apnea, and feeding/swallowing difficulties. The purpose of this scoping review was to summarize evidence pertaining to speech production in CFM.

METHOD

All articles reporting any characteristic of speech production in CFM were included and screened by two independent reviewers by title, abstract, and full text. Data charting captured details related to study population and design, CFM diagnostic criteria, speech outcome measurement, and key findings. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews checklist guided reporting of results. Our protocol was registered on the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/npr94/) and published elsewhere.

RESULTS

Forty-five articles were included in the detailed review. Most articles originated from the United States, were published in the past decade, and utilized case report/series study design. A speech-language pathologist authored 29%. The prevalence of velopharyngeal insufficiency ranged from 19% to 55% among studies. Oral distortion of alveolar and palatal fricatives and affricates primarily characterized articulation errors. Studies identified increased disordered speech and lower intelligibility in adolescents with CFM compared to unaffected peers. Evidence pertaining to phonatory and respiratory speech findings is limited.

CONCLUSIONS

Evidence supports that individuals with CFM are at increased risk of both velopharyngeal and articulatory speech differences. Additional information is needed to develop speech screening guidelines for children with CFM. Heterogeneity in study design and outcome measurement precludes comparisons across studies.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.24424555.

An Atypical Presentation of Goldenhar Syndrome With Seizures: A Rare Case Report

The Goldenhar syndrome also known as oculo-auriculo-vertebral dysplasia is one of the rare congenital defects that usually involves the impaired development of structures derived from first and second branchial arches such as ears, eyes, mandible, palate and various other structures of the face along with spinal abnormalities. The severity of Goldenhar syndrome anomalies can range from minor to severe, and patients with modest facial asymmetry to those with a highly evident facial abnormality. The most typical characteristics of this condition are dental ailments and impaired development of the mandible, maxilla, zygomatic, orbital, lips, tongue, and palate. It may also include hemifacial microsomia along with the cleft lip or cleft palate. The aetiology may include genetic and environmental factors but in most of the cases, the aetiology remains unknown. Gestational diabetes mellitus is also one of the leading risk factors associated with Goldenhar syndrome. The treatment and management depend upon the age of the patient and the clinical presentation. This case report describes an eight-year-old male child with generalised tonic-clonic seizures in all the limbs along with peri auricular skin tags, mandibular hypoplasia and esophageal stricture. There were no ocular findings or vertebral deformities.

Goldenhar syndrome: current perspectives

BACKGROUND

Progress in medical branches that has taken place since the first child with Goldenhare syndrome (GS) had been described in 1952 by Maurice Goldenhar, facilitated better understanding of this congenital defect. It also gave new perspectives and the opportunity to achieve satisfactory treatment results, mainly due to development of surgical techniques.

DATA SOURCES

Based on the literature and own experience, we discussed the phenotype of presentation of GS, ethiopathogenesis, genetic counselling and treatment with particular emphasis on surgery correction of hemifacial microsomia.

RESULTS

The spectrum of GS abnormalities ranges from mild to severe ones and include patients with barely noticeable facial asymmetry to very pronounced facial defect with more or less severe abnormalities of internal organs and/or skeleton. It is characterized most commonly by impaired development of eyes, ears, lips, tongue, palate, mandible, maxilla, zygomatic and orbital structures and deformations of the teeth structures. Ethiopathogenesis is multifactorial and dependent on genetic and environmental factors but there are still many unknowns about the syndrome which should be revealed.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with GS due to a large variety of abnormalities and different severity of symptoms pose a challenge for clinicians. All of this necessitate an individual approach to each single patient and involvement a team of specialists in treatment planning. It is a complex, long-lasting, multidisciplinary process and should be divided into stages, according to patient's age, as well as the extent and severity of observed abnormalities. Neonatologists and pediatricians are involved in care of these patients from the onset.

Hearing characterization in oculoauriculovertebral spectrum: A prospective study with 10 patients

Oculoauriculovertebral spectrum (OAVS), also known as Goldenhar syndrome, is considered a condition associated to failing of embryogenesis involving the first and second branchial arches, leading to structural abnormalities arising from it. The aim of this study is to verify the hearing features presented by patients with OAVS and provide additional information that may contribute to improvement of speech therapy. The sample consisted of 10 individuals diagnosed with OAVS and cared for by the Clinical Genetics Service. All patients underwent objective assessment of auditory function through tonal and vocal audiometry. This evaluation was completed using TOAE and BERA. The patient's age ranged from 1 year and 9 months to 27 years and 4 months. At physical examination it was found that 10 had microtia, 7 preauricular tags, 6 low-set ears, 6 ear canal atresia, and 2 preauricular pits. Among the patients, five presented with abnormal hearing. Three patients had conductive hearing loss ranging from mild to moderate, and two patients had sensorineural hearing loss from mild to profound. Three patients had hearing loss in both ears. Speech-language disorders are common in children with OAVS. Thus, the referral to the audiologist and speech pathologist is indicated as soon as possible. Early recognition and detailed understanding of aspects related to the etiology, clinical features, and outcome of patients with OAVS are essential for their proper management. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Síndrome de Goldenhar: uma abordagem fonoaudiológica

TEMA: o objetivo deste trabalho foi relatar o caso de uma criança portadora de Síndrome de Goldenhar em tratamento fonoaudiológico em uma clínica escola. PROCEDIMENTOS: foram coletados dados do prontuário do paciente, mediante assinatura do Termo de Consentimento Livre e Esclarecido e aprovação no Comitê de Ética da instituição, durante aproximadamente 11 meses de fonoterapia. Trata-se de uma criança de 5 anos e 11 meses de idade, do gênero masculino, apresentando ao nascimento má formação na orelha e no côndilo mandibular direitos, bem como espinha bífida. Para descrição do caso, antes e após o período de intervenção, o paciente passou por avaliações fonoaudiológicas como exame auditivo, do sistema estomatongático, medidas antropométricas faciais, exame articulatório, avaliação fonológica e da discriminação auditiva. RESULTADOS: observaram-se alterações como perda auditiva condutiva de grau moderado na orelha direita; alteração na mobilidade de lábios e língua; funções como deglutição, mastigação e respiração atípicas; medidas antropométricas faciais inferiores à normalidade, principalmente nos ramos mandibulares; bem como distúrbios na fala de ordem fonética (distorções) e fonológicas (dessonorizações). A partir de então, estabeleceu-se um planejamento terapêutico, com resultados positivos no período mencionado, principalmente no que se refere à função de mastigação. CONCLUSÃO: o paciente apresentou grande variedade de alterações fonoaudiológicas decorrentes do espectro oculoauriculovertebral, que se somatizam na associação com a respiração oral, os hábitos orais deletérios e os fatores ambientais que atuam no caso. Novos estudos mais aprofundados e com maior número de sujeitos são importantes na corroboração destes resultados.