Choanal Atresia and Rare Craniofacial Clefts: Report of Three Cases with a Review of the Literature

Abstract

Objective This retrospective study reports three cases associating choanal atresia (CA) and rare craniofacial clefts (RCFCs) described in Tessier's classification. Although still discussed, these two malformations could derive from the same embryopathogenic context, with an anomaly of migration of the neural crest cells as a common factor. In two of the three cases presented, the RCFC was diagnosed during the neonatal period, and the third case (case 3) was diagnosed at the age of 12 years. The knowledge of this malformative association must permit the diagnosis of CA as early as the neonatal period or through the thorough and directed examination of the children as part of the follow-up.