Robin sequence; Pierre Robin complex; Pierre Robin anomaly

Infants with this condition should NOT be put on their back, to prevent the tongue from falling back into the airway.

In moderate cases, the patient will need to have a tube placed through the nose and into the airways to avoid airway blockage. In severe cases, surgery is needed to prevent a blockage in the upper airway. Some patients need surgery to make a hole in the windpipe (tracheostomy).

Feeding must be done very carefully to avoid choking and breathing liquids into the airways. The child may need to be fed through a tube occasionally to prevent choking.

For support and information, see www.pierrerobin.org and www.cleftline.org.

Choking and feeding problems may go away on their own over the first few years as the lower jaw grows to a more normal size. There is a significant risk of problems if the airways are not protected against blockage.

• Choking episodes
• Feeding difficulties
• Breathing difficulties, especially when the child sleeps
• Low blood oxygen and brain damage (due to difficulty breathing)
• Pulmonary hypertension
• Congestive heart failure
• Death

This condition is often seen at birth.

Call your health care provider if choking episodes or breathing problems occur more often. A blockage of the airways may cause a high-pitched crowing noise when the child breathes in. It can also lead to blueness of the skin (cyanosis).

Also call if other breathing problems occur.

Images

Infant hard and soft palates

Review Date: 10/14/2009
Reviewed By: Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Departments of Anatomy and Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)