Cleft Lip

It is a congenital anomaly seen in approximately 1 in 1000 live births.

It occurs as a result of a defect in the fusion of the parts that will form the lips in the womb. Although the exact cause is not clear, having it in the family increases the risk. It is a congenital anomaly that can be diagnosed on ultrasound in the womb.

Cleft lip can be unilateral or bilateral, partial or complete, and sometimes accompanied by cleft palate.

In complete cleft lips, there is a deformation in the nose wing and a cleft in the upper jaw where the canine tooth will emerge.

While some children with cleft lip can suck the breast or bottle, children with more cleft lips may not be able to suck the breast or bottle and may need to be fed with a spoon or special bottle.

In addition to feeding problems in these babies, the family is also disturbed by this situation.

The age of surgery in these children is the 3rd month if the baby's development and blood values are normal.

Before the surgery, a detailed interview and examination is carried out, blood tests, an anesthesiologist examination is performed and general anesthesia approval is obtained.

The surgery is performed under general anesthesia (full sleep) in a full-fledged hospital. The surgery takes approximately 1-2 hours, and the patient is discharged after being hospitalized for a day or two.

After the surgery, the baby is fed with a spoon for about 2 weeks, and the stitches are removed after 1 week.

Nasal surgery may be required in the future as nose wing deformations may occur in cases of complete cleft lip, orthodontic treatment for teeth as teeth may be crooked in cases of complete cleft lip, and jaw surgery at the age of 18 because there may be upper jaw retardation, and bone transplantation at the age of 9-11 if there is bone deficiency in the upper jaw. It may be necessary.