Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026
Surgical Correction for Pediatric Epiblepharon and Trichiasis
Published on: July 8, 2025
[Neonatal cleft lip repair: perioperative safety and surgical outcomes]
N Calteux1, N Schmid, J Hellers
1Service de chirurgie plastique reconstructrice et esthétique, centre hospitalier de Luxembourg, 4, rue E. Barblé, L-1210 Luxembourg, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg.
Insights
Neonatal surgical repair of cleft lip is safe and effective, with low complication rates. Early lip repair supports parental bonding and infant integration into the family.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Craniofacial Surgery
- Neonatal Care
Context:
- Lack of international consensus on optimal timing for cleft lip and palate repair.
- Neonatal repair of cleft lip may improve infant-family integration and parental support.
- Recent studies question the established neonatal surgical practices.
Purpose:
- To retrospectively evaluate the perioperative safety and surgical outcomes of neonatal cleft lip repair.
- To assess the feasibility of performing labial repair within the first four weeks of life.
- To analyze a 20-year experience with 42 non-selected infants undergoing early cleft lip repair by a single senior surgeon.
Summary:
- Median operative times were 45 minutes for unilateral and 70 minutes for bilateral cleft lip repair.
- Oral feeding commenced on the operative day, with an average hospital stay of four days.
- No anesthetic complications were observed; four infants required secondary lip correction.
Impact:
- Neonatal cleft lip repair before 28 days of life demonstrates a very low risk of anesthetic and surgical complications.
- This approach is safe and effective within specialized neonatal surgical and postoperative care settings.
- The overall complication rate is minimal, supporting early intervention for cleft lip deformities.
Introduction:
There is no international consensus on timing for surgical repair of cleft lip and palate. We argue that neonatal timing for repair of the lip deformity allows a better integration of the baby in his family and is of major support for the parents. Recent studies tend to challenge this neonatal practice.
Patients And Methods:
We want to study retrospectively the perioperative safety and the surgical outcomes of this procedure over the past 20 years in a series of 42 non-selected babies who had labial repair during the first four weeks of their life. All of them have been operated by the same senior surgeon.
Results:
Median operative time is 45 minutes for unilateral cleft and 70 minutes in case of bilateral malformation. Oral feeding is initiated at the end of the operative day. Children's hospital stay is four days. The results show no anaesthetic complication. Four children had secondary lip correction.
Conclusion:
The risk of anaesthetic and surgical interventions limited to the lip before the age of 28 days is very low in a medical care environment specialized in neonatal surgery and postoperative care. The over all complication rate is very low.
