Procedures
If your child was diagnosed with cleft lip, cleft palate or both, you'll be referred to specialists who can help create a treatment plan for your child. Here's some information to help you get ready and what to expect from your doctor. Find out any pre-appointment restrictions.
Therapy
Cleft palate repair — by the age of 12 months, or earlier if possible Follow-up surgeries — between age 2 and late teen years Cleft lip and palate surgery takes place in a hospital. Your child will receive a general anesthetic, so he or she won't feel pain or be awake during surgery.
Self-care
Therefore, surgery to repair a cleft lip and/or cleft palate is one of the most common reconstructive procedures performed by plastic surgeons around the world. The condition can range from a very mild to a very significant separation in the upper lip and/or roof of the mouth. Surgery to repair a cleft palate is known as palatoplasty.
Nutrition
Your child will receive a general anesthetic, so he or she won't feel pain or be awake during surgery. Several different surgical techniques and procedures are used to repair cleft lip and palate, reconstruct the affected areas, and prevent or treat related complications. In general, procedures may include: Cleft lip repair.
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What should I do if my child has cleft lip/palate?
What is the best age for cleft palate surgery?
What is cleft lip and palate surgery?
Is cleft lip surgery painful for kids?
How is cleft lip and cleft palate treated?
Surgery. Surgery to correct cleft lip and palate is based on your child's particular situation. Following the initial cleft repair, your doctor may recommend follow-up surgeries to improve speech or improve the appearance of the lip and nose.
What is a major long term problem for a child with a cleft lip and palate?
Children with a cleft lip with or without a cleft palate or a cleft palate alone often have problems with feeding and speaking clearly and can have ear infections. They also might have hearing problems and problems with their teeth.
What is a common procedure for correction of cleft palate?
A cleft palate usually is repaired with surgery called palatoplasty (PAL-eh-tuh-plass-tee) when the baby is 10–12 months old. The goals of palatoplasty are to: Close the opening between the nose and mouth. Help create a palate that works well for speech.
What is the life expectancy of cleft lip and palate?
The results of treatment for cleft lip and palate are usually excellent both aesthetically and functionally. Children born with these conditions have a good quality of life and a normal life expectancy.
At what age is cleft palate repair?
Palate repair surgery is usually done when your baby is 6 to 12 months old. The gap in the roof of the mouth is closed and the muscles and the lining of the palate are rearranged. The wound is closed with dissolvable stitches. The operation usually takes about 2 hours and is done using a general anaesthetic.
What heart problems are associated with cleft palate?
Cardiac anomalies are one of the most common congenital disorders associated in cleft lip and palate patientsIt includes Cyanotic and acyanotic cardiac diseases likel fallot's tetralogy, transposition of greater vessels, atresia of tricuspid, total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR), truncus arteriosus, ...
Can a cleft palate be repaired as an adult?
Treatments currently available to infants and children with cleft lip and palate are also available to adults with clefts. Although every attempt is made to complete cleft care by the late teens, some ongoing treatment still may be required or some unmet patient need may become apparent in later years.
What happens if cleft palate is not treated?
dental problems – a cleft lip and palate can mean a child's teeth do not develop correctly and they may be at a higher risk of tooth decay. speech problems – if a cleft palate is not repaired, it can lead to speech problems such as unclear or nasal-sounding speech when a child is older.
What is the rule of 10's in treating cleft deformity?
This is frequently referred to as the “Rule of 10s” (10 weeks old, weight of 10 pounds and 10 grams of hemoglobin). Repair before age 1 is generally thought to produce the least visible scar.
Is a cleft palate considered a disability?
FACT: A cleft is not a 'disability'. It may affect a child in ways that mean they need extra help, but most children with a cleft are not affected by any other condition and are capable of doing just as well at school as any other child.
Does cleft palate cause autism?
Results: Children with cleft lip (CL) had a significantly higher risk of any psychiatric disorder, intellectual disability, and language disorders; children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) had, in addition, an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Does cleft lip come from mother or father?
The mother or the father can pass on genes that cause clefting, either alone or as part of a genetic syndrome that includes a cleft lip or cleft palate as one of its signs.