Principles and techniques of bilateral complete cleft lip repair

Important principles for repair of bilateral complete cleft lip are symmetry, primary orbicularis continuity, proper prolabial size and shape, median tubercle and mucocutaneous ridge formation from lateral lip tissue, and early construction of nasal tip and columella with anatomic placement of the alar cartilages. A two-stage repair employing techniques based on these concepts is described. At the initial procedure, the lateral crura are positioned and a tiny biconcave prolabium is shaped in anticipation of the changes with growth. The second stage (nasal correction) includes apposition of the alar genua, medial crural relocation, and intranasal transposition of banked forked flaps without disjunction of the columella-labial angle. The complete bilateral cleft lip is a four-dimensional problem.