Use of octyl-2-cyanoacrylate in cleft lip repair

Octyl-2-cyanoacrylate (Dermabond; Ethicon, Somerville, NJ) is a synthetic tissue adhesive recently approved for skin closure. This study was designed to assess its effectiveness for use in clefts lip repairs. Sixty-four patients with unilateral, bilateral, or midline cleft lip defects were repaired. The ages at repair ranged from 4 days to 19 months, with an average of 46.5 days. Follow-up ranged from 6 months to 3 years. No complications were found. Several advantages were observed: shorter operative time, formation of a protective barrier, simplified incision care, no need for suture removal, and improved scar outcome. This study supports octyl-2-cyanoacrylate as an alternative to skin sutures in primary cleft lip repair.