Bilateral vertical segmental distraction in a patient with bilateral cleft of lip, alveolus, and palate

In cases of bilateral clefts of lip and palate there is often a vertical and transversal deficit of the cleft segments. Ideally these problems can be solved orthodontically. In severe cases there is a need of surgical support. Distraction osteogenesis allows the correction of transversal, horizontal, and vertical deficits. A case of a 13-year-old girl with a bilateral cleft of lip and palate is presented. The patient had a severe deficit of the distal cleft segments concerning the vertical and transversal dimension. Osteotomy of the segments was performed and a vertical distraction followed by a transpalatal distraction procedure was used to correct the discrepancies.