Beyond easy answers: the plastic surgeon and prenatal diagnosis

To explore how plastic surgeons handle the issue of prenatal diagnosis of cleft lip and palate.

Mail survey.

The plastic surgeon listed as team contact in the team directory of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association was identified. In cases in which a plastic surgeon was not listed as a team contact, the first plastic surgeon listed as a team member was identified. A total of 211 surgeons were contacted.

Each surgeon was mailed a survey asking for his/her experience in prenatal diagnosis for cleft conditions. Ethical issues concerning the surgeon's personal beliefs about abortion and the potential influence of the surgeon's presentation of information were explored.

A 50% response rate was obtained. Eighty-five percent of respondents were experienced in prenatal counseling; 92% offer consults on a routine basis. Ninety-six percent indicated they did so because they felt it was helpful to families. Treatment (98%), appearance of clefts (96%), cleft etiology (94%), and associated problems (40%) were discussed most commonly. Termination was rarely discussed (5%). Of those who had not met with a family, 82% said they had never been asked to do so. Most respondents felt families sought consultation for information and rarely sought consultation to decide on abortion. The majority felt their personal beliefs about abortion did not influence their willingness to meet with parents. The majority of surgeons in both groups felt it was ethical to give an opinion on pregnancy termination if asked (55% of experienced surgeons, 44% of inexperienced surgeons); however, a significantly larger number of the surgeons who had not met with a family were unsure of their opinion.

Prenatal counseling of parents of a fetus with cleft lip/palate is common among plastic surgeons. There is uniformity in the information discussed. There is no agreement among surgeons about the ethical issues of pregnancy termination and the surgeon's role in that discussion.