Upper airway size while sucking on a pacifier in an infant with micrognathia.

In an infant with micrognathia, who was being evaluated after an apparent life-threatening event, respiration timed lateral radiographs showed an increase in the width of the middle airway space during inspiration from 2 mm without the pacifier to 9 mm while sucking on a pacifier. This observation is consistent with the hypothesis that the well-documented association between the pacifier use and reduced risk of sudden infant death syndrome may be at least in part related to changes in airway size.