Objective: To assess the effect of distraction osteogenesis maxillary expansion (DOME) on objective parameters of the internal nasal valve and correlate findings with subjective outcomes.
Study design: Retrospective cohort study.
Setting: Tertiary referral center.
Subjects and methods: After Institutional Review Board approval, included subjects were those with obstructive sleep apnea, had undergone DOME from September 2014 to April 2018, and had cone beam computed tomography scans available before and after expansion. Measurement of the internal nasal valve parameters was performed with Invivo6 Software (version 6.0.3). Interrater reliability of all pre- and postexpansion parameters was measured. Patient-reported outcome measures included the Nasal Obstruction and Septoplasty Effectiveness Scale (NOSE) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores, and correlation between objective and subjective outcomes were evaluated by Spearman correlation analysis.
Results: Thirty-two subjects met inclusion criteria. All showed significant improvement in their subjective outcomes as well as an increase in their internal valve parameters. Significant correlation was observed between increased angles and improvement in postexpansion NOSE score (right angle, P = .024; left angle, P = .029).
Conclusion: DOME widens the internal nasal valve objectively (dimensions), which correlates significantly with subjective improvement (NOSE scores).
Keywords: distraction osteogenesis; high arched palate; internal nasal valve; maxillary expansion; nasal obstruction; obstructive sleep apnea; rapid palatal expander; snoring.