Assessment of the Connection Between Maxillary Sinus Volume, Number of Surgical Interventions, and Craniofacial Development in Patients with Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: The aim of this retrospective cross-sectional study was to compare maxillary sinus volume, the number of surgical interventions, and craniofacial development in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP). The study also sought to clarify the surgical effect on craniofacial growth. Materials and Methods: The study examined 30 patients. Computed tomography scans and lateral cephalograms were collected. The volumes of the right and left maxillary sinuses were measured using ITK-SNAP software version 4.2.2 with a semiautomatic segmentation method. Cephalometric analysis was performed, and the number of primary and secondary interventions was noted. Data were statistically analyzed, with the significance set at p 0.05) between the number of primary or secondary surgical procedures and their influence on maxillary sinus volume. A significant relationship was observed between the number of primary surgeries and the ANB angle (p = 0.034) and SNB angle (p = 0.005). Statistical significance was also found between the number of secondary surgeries and the SNA angle (p = 0.03) and ANB angle (p = 0.03). Conclusions: The results show that the number of primary and secondary surgeries does not affect maxillary sinus volume in growing UCLP patients. However, the number of primary surgeries may have some influence on subsequent profile development. The number of secondary surgeries appears to influence maxilla growth and, consequently, the maxilla–mandible relationship (ANB and WITS appraisal).