[Treatment of cleft lip and palate: long-term results]

Since 1958, 900 children with cleft lip and palate were operated on at the University Hospital Brugmann in Brussels. Until 1981, the children were operated at 6 months for the lip and at 18 months for the palate with two flap palatoplasties. Since 1982, R. Malek's technique and sequence were adopted. The results after 5 years follow-up are analyzed between two groups of 50 and 49 children operated with the two techniques. Growth of the maxillary arch and phonation are well improved in the second group, but no improvement was observed in terms of hearing.