Things about Cleft Lip surgery You Need to Know
Cleft lip surgery is a surgical procedure performed to treat cleft lip. Cleft lip is a congenital defect that occurs in infants marked with the presence of cleft lip and palate. The gap is formed by the imperfect union between both sides of the lips and the palate mouth .
Cleft lip surgery can generally be performed in infants aged 3-12 months. If the cleft lip affects the shape of the nose, the doctor performing cleft lip surgery will also improve the patient's nose shape. This repair surgery of the nose is known as rhinoplast y . For surgical purposes, doctors may take tissue from other body parts (graft). Patients with cleft lip can undergo multiple surgeries to seal their cleft perfectly.
Cleft Lip Operation Indication
Cleft lip surgery is performed on the child if it has cleft lip, cleft palate, or a combination of both. Cleft lip and palate are often known by a doctor after the birth of a baby at the time of postnatal examination. However, in some cases, cleft lip can be identified during prenatal examination through ultrasound of pregnancy, although cleft palate should still be examined after the baby is born.
This operation should be performed on a child with cleft lip as it may interfere with the process of eating, breastfeeding and speaking. In addition, they can also experience hearing loss and ear infections due to accumulation of fluid in the ear. Children with cleft lip and palate are also more susceptible to tooth decay due to incomplete tooth development.
Cleft Lip Operation Warning
So far there is no specific condition that causes a child should not at all have cleft lip surgery. However, in some children who have an allergy to the anesthetic to be used, cleft lip surgery may still be performed with special treatment or supervision.
Prepare Cleft Lip surgery
Preparation for surgery can be started since the newborn and diagnosed with cleft lip by the doctor. After that, the doctor along with other health workers will plan with the child's parents related to the stages of treatment. In general, the planned stages of cleft lip treatment that patients will undergo for several years are:
- U 0-6 weeks nut. Doctors will provide temporary handling of the child's cleft lip conditions, to ease any complaints and difficulties that may be experienced. In addition, the doctor will also ensure the process of eating and drinking children is not disturbed, as well as doing a hearing test on children.
- U 3-6-month-old nut. Plastic surgeons will perform surgery to repair cleft lip in children.
- U nut 6-12 months. The doctor will perform surgery to repair the cleft palate in the child.
- U an 18-month-old nut. The doctor will carry out an examination of the ability to speak to a child who has had cleft lip and cleft surgery for the first time.
- U 3-year-old nut. The doctor will perform a second-time child's speaking test.
- U a 5 year nut. The doctor will perform a third and final child's speech examination.
- U nuts 8-12 years old. Doctors will perform surgery to repair a cleft on the gums by making a bone graft on the gum area. This is only done if the child also suffers from a cleft palate.
- 13-15 years old. The doctor will perform additional treatment and examinations to monitor and improve the condition of teeth and gums of children who have undergone cleft lip and palate surgery. The doctor will also monitor the growth and development of the jawbone of the child to ensure there is no abnormality.
A few days before surgery, your doctor will ask your parents to stop taking drugs that are at risk of causing bleeding, such as aspirin or ibuprofen. Doctors will also seek information from parents regarding medications and supplements that children consume. A few hours before surgery, the parents will be asked by a doctor to not feed and drink the child. Health workers will also ensure the child is fit enough to have surgery hours before. If the child is not well enough to undergo surgery, surgery may be delayed for several days until the child is well.
Cleft Lip Operation Procedure
Cleft lip surgery is performed under unconscious conditions after a total anesthetic is administered. When the child is unconscious, the doctor will immediately perform cleft lip repair by bringing the two sides of the lips apart. If cleft palate is too wide for stitching, the doctor will perform a special procedure using a lip glue agent (adhesion) or lip latch tool. The lips are then put together by using sewing threads, either with sewing threads that can blend into lips and which can not be fused. If the child's lips are sewn with a sewing thread that does not blend with the lips, the child will undergo a sewing procedure after fully recovering and the lips are well integrated.
The operation will generally leave a scar on the lips at the bottom of the nose. However, to maintain the appearance of the child, the doctor will regulate and make the scar operation as natural as possible. The surgical scar will fade by itself as the child grows. If necessary, the doctor will also adjust the shape of the nose to fit the shape of the lips that have undergone cleft lip surgery. Cleft lip surgery generally lasts about 2 hours.
Operating Procedures Ceiling Cleft
Cleft palate surgery is generally performed when children aged 6-12 months, either in children who also experience cleft lip or who only experienced a cleft palate only. Children who have cleft palate surgery will first be given a total anesthetic, so they will not be conscious during the operation procedure. The doctor will then close the cleft palate in the palate. In addition, the doctor will also regulate the position and shape of the muscles contained in the roof of the mouth. Once the muscle position is well adjusted, the doctor will then unite the cleft palate using a sewing thread that blends into the muscle of the palate.
Operation of cleft palate will generally last about 2 hours. This operation will produce scars on the inside of the mouth, and will not be visible from the outside. The sound of children suffering from cleft palate will usually hum while speaking, and sometimes the hum still exists even if the child has had surgery. In addition, in some cases, a new buzz comes a few months after the child has a cleft palate surgery.
Additional Operations
As the child grows, the shape of the child's lips and face may change. This condition sometimes causes the child to have additional surgery. Examples of additional surgeries that can be undertaken are pharyngoplasty to improve the throat shape to improve speech quality, and cleft palate surgery if there is a gap between the gums formed together with the cleft lip. Cleft palate surgery will involve a bone graft as a material to unite a separate gum.
After Cleft Lip Operation
After the surgery is done, the child will be taken to the treatment room to undergo postoperative recovery. Generally, the child will undergo hospitalization for about 1-3 days or as needed. During hospitalization, children may be accompanied by their parents.
Parents will be given instructions by the doctor to keep the wound clean and avoid infection. In addition, surgical wounds should not be strained or depressed during the recovery period, which is about 3-4 weeks. To clean the surgical wound, parents can use special soap and smear the wound with ointment to keep the wound and skin in the operating area is not dry. The child must be guarded by his hand so as not to touch and interfere with surgical sutures, so that recovery can take place with maximum.
During the recovery period, children are only allowed to be fed liquid foods. If the condition of the child is not possible to feed his mother, the doctor will provide a bottle that is designed specifically for children who suffer from cleft lip and palate. Breast milk can be milked and put in the bottle to give to the child. If it is necessary, the child will be fitted with a special nasal tube as a replacement pathway through the mouth.
Recovery of post cleft lip and palate surgery generally goes without serious problems or complications. In addition, after completion of cleft lip surgery, the child will undergo a hearing examination that can be affected by postoperative mouth conditions. This auditory examination can be repeated at certain times of the year after the operation. Children may also experience speech disorders due to postoperative muscle shape changes. To help with this condition, the child can undergo a speech therapy guided by a specialist.
The Risk of Cleft Lip Operations
Cleft lip and palate surgery is safe to live. However, as with other surgical procedures, cleft lip and palate surgery can still cause complications, including:
- Bleeding.
- Infection.
- Respiratory disorders.
- Allergic reactions to medicines given.
- Abnormal facial bone growth, including the face between the nose and the lips.
