Syngnathia is a rare congenital craniofacial disorder. It may be considered a physical expression of the genetic defect and is often associated with syndromes like popliteal pterygium, van der Woude, etc. A 6-month-old female child was presented by the parents (mother: 24 years old, father: 28 years old) with a chief complaint of inability to open her mouth since birth. The deformity was classified as Laster type 2a syngnathia. The surgical site was approached extra orally via a submandibular approach bilaterally, and osteotomy of the fused segment was conducted. The baby succumbed following acute cardiac arrest on the 2 nd postoperative day. This article also highlights the importance of prenatal diagnosis and the pertinent issues about airway and surgical management in neonates. A treatment protocol has been proposed for neonates presenting with syngnathia.
Nikunj et al. (2026) studied this question.