[Facial clefts and their coding with LAHS nomenclature]

Research and treatment of clefts of lip, alveolus, and palate requires exact, reliable and reproducible terminology and documentation. In this paper we suggest a simple system to record a detailed diagnosis for every case of cleft. All anatomical regions involved by the cleft are considered and the extent in these regions is described. This nomenclature has been proposed for usage by the Interdisciplinary Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Anomalies Committee of the German Associations for Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthodontics, Phoniatrics, Pedaudiology and ENT.