Cleft lip is one of the most common congenital deformities. Its appearance can be very disconcerting for the parents of an infant with cleft lip. It can also have psychological effects for older children and adults who never had an opportunity for cleft lip repair as infants due to lack of medical access. Fortunately, a cleft lip deformity can be repaired.
The repair of cleft lip is done in two stages: primary repair and secondary repair. Primary repair refers to the initial repair that is done during infancy. Secondary repair refers to subsequent surgeries done to improve upon the initial surgical repair.
A cleft lip affects more than just the lip. Aside from the obvious gap in the lip, a cleft lip may also affect the nose and the alveolar ridge. The nasal deformity and alveolar ridge deformity are also addressed in the repair process. In a cleft repair, the goals are both to restore normal lip function and to make the lip look as normal as possible.
Next page: Primary Cleft Lip Repair
