Cumulative operative procedures in patients aged 14 years and older with unilateral or bilateral cleft lip and palate

Sixty-seven consecutive patients over the age of 14 with either unilateral (n = 38) cleft lip and palate or bilateral (n = 29) cleft lip and palate seen over a 15-month period at the University of Michigan Craniofacial Program were reviewed to determine the total number of surgical procedures performed over the course of treatment. The demographics of the two groups differed: There were 25 males and 13 females who were a mean age of 17 years and 9 months with unilateral cleft lip and palate and 23 males and 6 females who were a mean age of 18 years and 5 months with bilateral cleft lip and palate. Lip and palate repairs were carried out on all patients. Lip adhesions were performed in 29 and 62 percent; pharyngoplasties (either pharyngeal flap or modified Ortichochea) in 39 and 38 percent; alveolar bone grafts in 82 and 79 percent; Abbé flaps in 0 and 10 percent; and orthognathic surgery was done in 10.5 and 13.8 percent and recommended and/or done in 26 and 24 percent of patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate and bilateral cleft lip and palate, respectively. Lip revisions averaged 1.13 and 2.17 per patient and secondary nasal surgeries averaged 1.13 and 1.18 per patient in the unilateral cleft lip and palate and bilateral cleft lip and palate, respectively. All totaled, the average number of operations was 6.12 per patient (range 3 to 12) in the unilateral cleft lip and palate and 8.04 per patient (range 5 to 15) in the bilateral cleft lip and palate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)