Characteristics of Japanese Patients With Cleft Lip: A Presurgical Anthropometric Analysis of 174 Cases

ObjectiveTo characterize the presurgical anthropometric features of Japanese patients with unilateral cleft lip and identify factors associated with lip-height and -width discrepancies.DesignRetrospective analysis of operative records.SettingSingle-university hospital in Japan.PatientsOne hundred and seventy-four Japanese patients with unilateral cleft lip who underwent primary cheiloplasty between July 2007 and September 2016.Main Outcome MeasuresVertical lip-height (n = 174) and horizontal lip-width (n = 73) measurements on cleft and noncleft sides.ResultsMean medial lip height was 10.5 mm on the noncleft side versus 5.5 mm on the cleft side (average discrepancy, 5.0 mm). Mean lateral lip width was 18.9 mm on the noncleft side versus 16.4 mm on the cleft side (average discrepancy, 2.5 mm). Cleft-side lip height was shorter in all cases, and the width was narrower in 81% of cases. Complete alveolar cleft (P = .0156) and male sex (P = .0357) were significantly associated with greater lip-height discrepancy, whereas cleft palate alone was not independently significant. Only laterality was significantly associated with lip-width discrepancy; right-sided clefts showed larger discrepancies than left-sided clefts (P = .0010).ConclusionsPatients with unilateral cleft lip demonstrated substantial lip-height discrepancies, considerably larger than those reported in other populations. Complete alveolar cleft and male sex were independently associated with greater lip-height discrepancy, whereas right-sided clefts showed greater lip-width discrepancy. These findings provide valuable reference data for surgical planning in Japanese patients. It is important to consider these factors when selecting cheiloplasty techniques.