Primary repair of bilateral cleft lip and nasal deformity. 2001

J B Mulliken
Division of Plastic Surgery and Craniofacial Centre, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA. mulliken@a1.tch.harvard.edu

After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. List five principles that guide synchronous repair of bilateral complete cleft lip and nasal deformity. 2. Explain how different growth rates for the principal nasolabial features are applied during primary repair. 3. Describe two approaches for positioning the alar cartilages to form the columella. 4. Discuss the influences on referral patterns for a newborn with bilateral cleft lip. --Traditional repair of bilateral cleft lip focused on labial closure but accentuated the nasal deformities, which were addressed later. By the end of the past century, single-staged labial closure had replaced the old multistaged procedures and the technical emphasis had begun to shift from secondary to primary nasal correction. Now, presurgical maxillary orthopedics sets the bony foundation for synchronous nasolabial repair and for closure of the alveolar clefts. The study of normal nasolabial growth and the typical stigmata of the conventional methods provides the necessary foreknowledge to guide surgical sculpture in three dimensions and to anticipate the fourth dimension. The convergence of several forces are changing referral lines for children born with bilateral cleft lip. These include affirmation of centers of excellence, surgeons' self-regulation, prenatal diagnosis, economics of health-care delivery, and increasing parental sophistication. These pressures are not necessarily in conflict. Care by a subspecialized plastic surgeon and experienced team is in the best interests of the child and the third-party payer.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007223 Infant A child between 1 and 23 months of age. Infants
D008046 Lip Either of the two fleshy, full-blooded margins of the mouth. Philtrum,Lips,Philtrums
D009666 Nose A part of the upper respiratory tract. It contains the organ of SMELL. The term includes the external nose, the nasal cavity, and the PARANASAL SINUSES. External Nose,External Noses,Nose, External,Noses,Noses, External
D010160 Palate, Soft A movable fold suspended from the posterior border of the hard palate. The uvula hangs from the middle of the lower border. Velum Palatinum,Soft Palate,Palates, Soft,Palatinum, Velum
D012086 Reoperation A repeat operation for the same condition in the same patient due to disease progression or recurrence, or as followup to failed previous surgery. Revision, Joint,Revision, Surgical,Surgery, Repeat,Surgical Revision,Repeat Surgery,Revision Surgery,Joint Revision,Revision Surgeries,Surgery, Revision
D002675 Child, Preschool A child between the ages of 2 and 5. Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D002971 Cleft Lip Congenital defect in the upper lip where the maxillary prominence fails to merge with the merged medial nasal prominences. It is thought to be caused by faulty migration of the mesoderm in the head region. Harelip,Cleft Lips,Harelips,Lip, Cleft,Lips, Cleft
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012225 Rhinoplasty A plastic surgical operation on the nose, either reconstructive, restorative, or cosmetic. (Dorland, 28th ed) Rhinoplasties

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