Management of bilateral cleft lip and nasal deformity

What We Learned from Performing the Inverse Malek Procedure to Repair Bilateral Cleft Lips and Palates: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Background: This study reviews the surgical and functional outcomes of children diagnosed with a bilateral cleft lip and palate and treated by the same surgical team following specific surgical protocols 18 years after surgery and during the follow-up. Methods: Based on a single-center retrospective design, demographic and surgical data were gathered by the authors from international institutions. Most of the data were quantitative in nature, and descriptive statistical and non-parametric tests were employed for analysis. All children born with a bilateral cleft from 1982 to 2002 were considered. Children affected by a syndrome were excluded. Complications and speech results were the main items measured. Results: Thirty patients were selected; 73.3% were treated using the inverse Malek procedure, and 26.7% underwent a modified two-stage procedure. Seventy percent developed an oronasal fistula. An alveolar bone graft was performed in 83%, and 53.3% underwent Le Fort osteotomy. Thirty-six percent required a pharyngeal flap, with good speech results. The median number of times general anesthesia was used among all the interventions considered was 5.5 (4.25-6). Conclusions: This study presents the long-term results of using the inverse Malek procedure to treat children with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. It is shown that this is related to a high risk of developing a fistula, but has good long-term speech results.

Comparing the Treatment Outcomes of Absorbable Sutures, Nonabsorbable Sutures, and Tissue Adhesives in Cleft Lip Repair: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVES

To examine the literature and synthesize the available reports for the best possible option between absorbable, nonabsorbable, and tissue adhesives in cleft lip skin closure.

DESIGN

We conducted systematic searches for randomized controlled trials and controlled clinical trials in PubMed, Cochrane, Ovid Medline, and OpenGrey databases. Identified studies were retrieved and assessed for eligibility. All statistical analyses were done with Revman, version 5.4.

INTERVENTIONS

The intervention considered in this systematic review were techniques of cleft lip repair using resorbable sutures, nonabsorbable sutures, medical adhesives, or any combination of these.

OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcomes assessed in the trials had to include any combination of the following: wound healing cosmesis and wound healing complications. While secondary outcomes considered were quality of life, direct and indirect costs to patients and health services, and participant satisfaction.

RESULTS

Only 6 studies met all inclusion criteria and were selected for qualitative analysis. A more favorable wound healing cosmesis was seen when nonabsorbable suture was used in cleft lip repair compared to absorbable sutures and tissue adhesives (CI, 0.65-4.35). This advantage was overshadowed by the significantly higher prevalence of postoperative complications when nonabsorbable sutures are used.

CONCLUSION

Although the results point to more favorable cosmesis with nonabsorbable sutures and an overall more favorable outcome with either absorbable sutures or tissue adhesives, the 6 selected studies were assessed at an unclear risk of bias; therefore, the results of this study should be interpreted with caution and regarded as low-certainty evidence.

Cleft lip - a comprehensive review

Orofacial clefts comprise a range of congenital deformities and are the most common head and neck congenital malformation. Clefting has significant psychological and socio- economic effects on patient quality of life and require a multidisciplinary team approach for management. The complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors play a significant role in the incidence and cause of clefting. In this review, the embryology, classification, epidemiology, and etiology of cleft lip are discussed. The primary goals of surgical repair are to restore normal function, speech development, and facial esthetics. Different techniques are employed based on surgeon expertise and the unique patient presentations. Pre-surgical orthopedics are frequently employed prior to definitive repair to improve outcomes. Long term follow up and quality of life studies are discussed.

Rhinoplasty for cleft and hemangioma-related nasal deformities

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To provide a concise review of recent articles on rhinoplasty approaches for cleft nasal deformity and nasal hemangiomas published in 2008-2010.

RECENT FINDINGS

Cleft nasal deformity rhinoplasty approaches have undergone further refinements as well as new development in techniques and surgical principles to minimize recurrent cleft nasal deformities. There is a paucity of studies addressing cleft septal deformity although there appears to be a greater emphasis on functional outcome in cleft rhinoplasty. Complications from primary cleft rhinoplasty and presurgical nasoalveolar molding were also reported. Similarly, nasal hemangioma rhinoplasty approaches have undergone further modifications with open rhinoplasty and subunit approaches gaining wider acceptance.

SUMMARY

There are several new studies that compare different rhinoplasty techniques to determine which approaches offer superior surgical outcomes; however, there needs to be a greater acceptance of objective measurements when assessing surgical results to identify a uniform surgical protocol and technique for both cleft rhinoplasty and nasal hemangiomas.