[Cleft lip, maxilla and palate treatment by Dr. Talmant's team in Nantes]

Over the last 30 years, our private cleft lip and palate team has developed an increasing activity based on the Victor Veau's concept: "All the structures are present and only deformed". Our goal is to achieve an anatomical and fully functional repair in every fields with the first operation. A few recent refinements have improved our primary procedures: intravelar veloplasty; simultaneous lengthening of the columella and primary lip repair in bilateral clefts; nasal retainer for the 3 or 4 first postoperative months allowing the establishment of a nasal breathing mode at once. Our timing has been the same over the last 21 years if we except that we currently perform the gingivoperiosteoplasty between 4 and 5 years of age so that the width and the relationships of the maxillary arch are normal at the time of the mixed dentition. The timing is the same in uni and bilateral clefts. No preoperative orthopedics. At 6 months of age, nasolabial repair and closure of the soft palate with intravelar veloplasty. At 18 months of age, anatomical closure of the residual cleft of the bony palate in two planes without vomer flap or denuded bone. Between 4 and 5 years of age, after a short orthopedic treatment, closure of the alveolar cleft by a gingivoperiosteoplasty with iliac bone graft. From 6 years of age we start the orthodontic treatment. The current evolution allows to think that only few late corrections will be necessary.