Cleft Lip and Palate Repair

What are cleft lip and palate repair?

A cleft, or separation of the upper lip and the roof of the mouth, happens very early in the development of your unborn child. During development, some special components of the upper lip and roof of the mouth fail to grow together normally. In some cases, a syndrome can be the major reason for the occurrence of the cleft. However, for most affected children, the cause cannot be easily identified. In such situations, the cleft is believed to result from a complex combination of genetic and environmental issues.

To correct this abnormal development, specialists recommend cleft lip repair and cleft palate repair. They are conducted to restore function to the lips and mouth along with producing a more normal appearance. Surgeons can fix most clefts through specialized plastic surgery techniques and improve your child's ability to eat, speak, hear, and breathe easily.

It’s important to note that both of these surgeries are highly individualized. In addition to closing the cleft defect, the operation is aimed at boosting your child’s normal growth. Through cleft lip repair, also called cheiloplasty, surgeons reconstruct the lip to create a more normal appearance. It usually includes:

• Closure of the cleft resulting in a scar located within or near the typical features of the upper lip
• Formation of a cupid's bow
• Establishing adequate distance between the upper lip and nose

Why Iran?

The pre-operative education and research is a very critical stage that patients should go through to make sure that their health-related problems will be solved. By consulting with knowledgeable and experienced surgeons, you will be given the chance to express your expectations and goals as well. They will understand your concerns and propose a satisfactory solution afterwards.

Considering the significance of all the stages that patients should pass through for tackling their health-related problems, Iranian experts are highly recommended since they are the ones you can easily trust to ask any question you have. They have extensive knowledge and invaluable experience specially in surgical treatments like cleft lip and palate repair. They carry out many operations successfully every year and can help you meet your needs. They will choose the most suitable procedure to address the problems you are dealing with, inform you of the whole operation, ensure a safe surgery, and clarify the healing process. Moreover, they will review your diet history to modify the eating habits you have had so far with the help of a skillful dietitian and determine the level of routine exercise you should have later on to maintain your health.

It’s important to note that if you decide to get these surgical treatments in Iran’s specialized clinics, you will be offered the most up-to-date services with a low cost. Thus, you can save considerable amount of money while traveling to this beautiful country for resolving all the issues related to your health.

Who Can Benefit from cleft lip and palate repair?

The timing of the cleft repairs highly depends on the overall health conditions of your child. These operations are usually carried out between two and six months. Cleft palate repairs are typically performed after cleft lip repair separately when the child is between nine to eighteen months of age. In case of other more dangerous problems such as heart disorder, doctors prefer to delay the surgery.

Procedure

During the surgery, some medications will be administered to make your child feel comfortable. Doctors will select either intravenous sedation or general anesthesia considering your child’s condition.

The major goal of cleft lip surgery is closing the separation in the lip and providing a more typical function, structure, and appearance to the upper lip. To do so, doctors make several incisions on either side of the cleft to create flaps of skin, muscle, and intraoral tissue. Next, they are drawn together and stitched to close the cleft and recreate typical lip and nose anatomy.

To repair a cleft palate, specialists reposition tissue and muscles carefully to close the cleft and rebuild the roof of the mouth. Incisions are then made on either side of the cleft and specialized flap techniques are employed to reposition the tissues of the hard and soft palate to facilitate normal speech. The incisions will be closed afterwards along the midline of the roof of the mouth, providing enough length of the palate to be able for normal feeding, speech development, and continued growth throughout life.

Recovery

The recovery process takes about two or three weeks. After the surgery, doctors monitor babies closely for at least several days. During the first few days, movement of the child's hands will be restricted so they won’t put their fingers in their mouths and disrupt the surgical repair. Some bandages may also be placed on incisions outside your child's mouth. After palate repair, your child will mostly have some dietary restrictions for several days. Using bottles, pacifiers, straws or other utensils are also forbidden. Depending on the surgical technique applied, sutures may have to be removed from the lip after the operation. Lip scars will also fade away after some months. As probable pain and swelling disappear, healing process will be completed.

The Results

As time passes, the external scars of a cleft repair will be positioned in the normal contours of the upper lip and nose. Therefore, your child's normal growth will continue to improve. As a result of this operation, your child’s ability to breathe, eat, and speak will be enhanced. In some cases, additional procedures on the lip or palate may be required to refine appearance.

It is significant to know that at the earliest stages of the healing process, feeding, growth, and development will be the most major priorities for your child's cleft-related care. Using specialized bottles or feeding tubes is usually recommended to help your child eat well. In some cases, when a cleft palate is involved, the infant will not be able to feed at the breast like other infants due to issues with creating oral suction.