Cleft lip and palate, which is a problem that occurs in the womb during the development of the baby, can occur in different ways. During the formation of facial parts and intraoral structures, openings due to inability to merge may occur in the lips, nose, gums and palate.
Clefts may occur on both the palate and the lip, or they may occur in only one of them. It is more difficult to detect cleft palate than cleft lip.
It is possible to detect cleft lip with ultrasound in the womb. However, clefts or hidden clefts that occur in the soft palate and in the very back are usually not detected.
While the baby is in the womb, the cells forming the lip part in the 5th week and the cells forming the palate in the 9th week begin to unite. In the 12th week, this union is completed. If any problems occur during this union period, cleft lip and palate may occur. Cleft lip and palate, which develops in the prenatal period and occurs as a result of a defect in the fusion of the midline on the face, is also known as rabbit lip among the people. Cleft lip and palate occur in 1 out of every 1000 live births.
The most basic cause of cleft lip and palate is genetic factors. In other words, if one of the family members has cleft lip and palate, the probability of cleft lip and palate in the children to be born is 4 percent. The most basic causes of cleft lip and palate can be shown as:
Although there is no test to detect cleft lip and palate before birth, it can be diagnosed by abdominal ultrasound after the 13th week of pregnancy. However, in almost half of cleft lip and palate it is unknown what causes it. In some cases, functional and aesthetic problems in some organs may accompany lip and palate wounds.
The biggest problem created by cleft lip and palate is the unaesthetic appearance. However, this problem may be accompanied by a functional problem such as speech disorder. It is also possible to have problems during feeding. In addition, this situation can cause problems in the middle ear and teeth, as well as negatively affect the development of the jaw and face.
It is possible to detect cleft lip with ultrasound in the womb. However, clefts or hidden clefts that occur in the soft palate and in the very back are usually not detected. Cleft lip is classified as unilateral or bilateral and complete or incomplete clefts. Cleft palate may occur in the soft palate, as well as in the soft and hard palate. In some cases of cleft lip, it is possible to adversely affect the gingival arch. Accordingly, the various types of cleft lip and cleft palate are:
Lip Clefts
Cleft Palate
Depending on the form of the cleft lip and palate and the type of problems it causes, the treatment method may differ.
There are some conditions for performing cleft lip and palate surgeries. These conditions are:
In the surgical treatment of cleft lip and palate, functional problems such as sucking and feeding are treated and an aesthetic appearance is created. In cases where clefts of the lip and palate are very serious, orthodontic treatment may be required before surgery. With this orthodontic treatment, it is aimed to narrow the cleft lip and palate. The total duration of the treatment is between 7 and 9 months on average. The goals to be achieved in the treatment of cleft lip and palate are as follows.
If cleft lip and palate is not treated or if the treatment fails, additional problems such as growth retardation, pneumonia or otitis media may occur in patients. In some cases, a single operation is not enough and secondary surgeries may be required to eliminate aesthetic and functional defects in later ages. In addition, some clefts of the lip and palate may impair the aesthetic and functional condition of the nose. Therefore, in addition to cleft lip and palate surgery, procedures to eliminate problems in the nose can also be performed.
Cleft lip and palate surgeries involve a number of operations and are almost entirely performed under general anesthesia. Average operative times can vary between 2 and 4 hours. After the operation, babies should not bring their hands to their mouths and at the same time, the care of the area should be done by a specialist nurse. After the surgery, the stitches are removed at the end of the 5th to 7th day. The process after cleft palate surgery is much more difficult than the process after cleft lip surgery. Because after the operation, complications such as bleeding or swelling of the tongue may occur in the operation area. During this period, clear foods that are not particulate should be consumed. On average, it takes 3-4 days for the incisions in the mouth to begin to heal.
Some important points to know about cleft lip and palate, which are diseases that cause serious aesthetic and functional problems, are as follows:
Performing the surgery on cleft lip and palate by an expert and experienced surgeon increases the success of the operation.
