Cleft palate, a common birth defect
Written by:Cleft lip is a birth defect that affects the upper lip and / or palate. Cleft lip surgery is a surgery that tries to repair these birth defects.
A cleft lip, which is one of the most common birth defects and treated in oral maxillofacial surgery , may simply be a small notch in the lip. But it can also be a complete split that reaches the base of the nose, affecting the appearance of the face. This, together with a cleft palate, can cause certain problems associated with eating and speaking.
Cleft lip surgery
Surgery for cleft lip is usually done in childhood, when the child / a is between 6 weeks and 9 months old. However, in exceptional cases it can be performed in adolescence or even adulthood.
The cleft lip surgery is performed under general anesthesia. Its main objective is to restore the anatomical and functional continuity of the lip and / or palate, selecting the most appropriate surgical technique in each case.
Post-operative surgery of cleft lip
24h or 48h after surgery, the patient is discharged from hospital. They have to perform a number of local wound care until the stitches, which will be within 5 days of the intervention was removed.
Sometimes, the patient may need revision surgery during adolescence to improve the appearance of lip and nose, as well as continuous monitoring with speech therapists and orthodontists once it has also repaired the palate.
Unilateral cleft lip: preoperatively (left) and postoperative (right)
Bilateral cleft lip: preoperatively (left) and postoperative (right)
