Original scientific paper
Craniofacial Anthropometric Analysis in Down's Syndrome Patients
Ivana Bagić
Željko Verzak
Abstract
Past investigations of Down’s syndrome (DS) have indicated that there are marked
abnormalities in the craniofacial morphology. The aim of this study was to establish the
craniofacial anthropometric variables which discriminate DS group from healthy population
and also to observe the changes occuring with growth. Using noninvasive method
of craniofacial anthropometry, the craniofacial pattern profile (CFPP) analysis
(from twenty-five anthropometric measurements per person) was performed in 104 DS
individuals and 365 healthy controls, aged seven to fifty-seven and divided into four age
ranges. Z-scores were calculated for each variable and the variations in the craniofacial
region have been identified by multivariate discriminative analysis. The results showed
that three variables (head length (g-op), head circumference (OFC) and outer canthal
distance (ex-ex)) were responsible for 85.68% variability (p<0.001). The analysis of zscores
showed that the majority of variables were in subnormal (under –2 SD) and normal
range (from –2SD to +2SD), but none of them was in the supernormal range (over
the +2SD). Some craniofacial characteristics are age-related. On the basis of craniofacial
anthropometric traits it was posssible to separate even 91.35% of DS patients
from the healthy population. It could be concluded that these findings demonstrate the
usefulness of application of CFPP in defining abnormal craniofacial dimensions in DS
individuals.
Keywords
Down syndrome; pattern profile analysis; craniofacial measurements
Hrčak ID:
28205
URI
Publication date:
29.12.2003.
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