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Cleft Lip Palate Surgery

Cleft lip and/or cleft palate are a congenital deformity occurring in approximately one in 800 births. It occurs during gestation, usually in the early few weeks. In most cases the causes are unknown, though the chances of the baby having cleft lips occur if the mother has been exposed to certain chemicals and infections or if the family has a history of cleft lips. The condition occurs during the formative weeks of the fetus and can sometimes be detected during ultrasound tests

The child will have eating and drinking problems, sometimes hearing and speech problems if the condition is untreated though there are cases where people have gone through life normally despite the cleft lip and palate not being treated. Statistics show that the highest rate of such deformity occurs in Asian races while the lowest exists in the Africans. The cleft lip and palate deformity can be corrected and the chances are very bright that these deformities become unnoticeable later in life after the treatment.

The surgery depends on the extent of the cleft lip or palate condition. In most cases the first operation can be done early in life, usually when the child is about three to six months of age. A rule of ten states that the first operation can be made when the child is ten weeks old, weighs at least ten pounds and has at least ten gms of hemoglobin. The cleft palate team and the craniofacial team will monitor the child through young adulthood. A team of doctors perform the operation and improve the condition, making the patient normal. However care in certain cases can be life long.

The treatment procedure varies. Each team has its own suggestions. After the first operation where the doctors successfully join the split ends of the lip or close the opening in the palate, another operation may be necessary after eight or ten years. In about 25 percent of cases only one operation is necessary to cure the situation. In some cases dental correction may be needed. The palate, the jaw, the permanent teeth will have to be made normal before the person looks, feels, and speaks normally.

If the cleft lip is extensive or bilateral, two surgeries may be performed in the initial stage, one for each side of the lip. This is done with a gap of few weeks. The nerves, the blood vessels and the underlying tissues all have to be operated, sometimes to stretch them and sometimes to create new ones naturally by the body. The surgery takes at least three to four hours and is done by plastic surgeons or a team of surgeons specializing in problems of the mouth and face. Sometimes ear specialists will also be necessary as the condition may result in ear problems.