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Our first experience with primary lip repair in newborns with cleft lip and palate
1Plastic Surgery Clinic, 3rd Medical Faculty and Faculty Hospital Královské Vinohrady, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. jiri.borsky@tiscali.cz
Insights
Early primary lip repair before one week of age in newborns with cleft lip and palate shows promising esthetic outcomes for lip scars and nasal appearance. This approach appears to have no immediate negative impact on maxillary development.
Area of Science:
- Craniofacial Surgery
- Pediatric Plastic Surgery
- Cleft Lip and Palate Treatment
Background:
- Cleft lip and palate are common congenital conditions requiring surgical intervention.
- The timing and technique of primary lip repair significantly influence functional and esthetic outcomes.
- Early surgical intervention aims to optimize development and minimize long-term complications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the preliminary outcomes of early primary lip repair in newborns with cleft lip and palate.
- To assess the esthetic results of a modified Tennison lip repair with nasal correction performed before one week of age.
- To investigate the short-term impact of this early surgical approach on maxillary development.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective review of the first 44 newborns undergoing primary lip repair before one week of age.
- Surgical technique involved a modified Tennison lip repair with concurrent nasal correction.
- Patients received care within a multidisciplinary cleft team setting.
Main Results:
- Excellent esthetic results were observed regarding lip scarring and nasal appearance.
- No adverse impact on maxillary development was noted within the observed short time interval.
- Preliminary findings suggest favorable outcomes for early intervention.
Conclusions:
- Early primary lip repair, incorporating nasal correction, is a promising method for managing cleft lip and palate.
- This technique yields encouraging esthetic results without immediate negative effects on maxillary development.
- Continued monitoring is recommended to assess long-term maxillary and nasal development impacts.
Abstract:
The article summarizes the results of early primary lip repair in 44 newborns with cleft lip and palate. We present a study of the first 44 patients to undergo the surgery before the age of 1 week as performed by a surgeon who used a modified method according to Tennison with a nasal correction. Early lip surgeries started in 2005. Cleft patients are under the care of a multidisciplinary team. Preliminary results are very encouraging; we observed excellent esthetic results concerning lip scars and the appearance of the nose. We did not notice any impact on the maxillary development due to the short time interval. We consider early lip surgery with nasal correction the best method, and we would like to continue with it, monitoring its impact on the maxillary and nasal development.
