Cleft Lip & Palate

Cleft mean opening and palate is the soft roof of the mouth. So an opening in the lip is called cleft lip and that in the floor of mouth is called cleft palate. This is mostly a congenital problem. Cleft lip or palate happens when a baby is born with opening in lip or roof of mouth. It is not necessary that a child who has cleft lip will also have cleft palate.

Cleft Lip - Children with cleft lip have opening or gap in their upper lips. The reason behind this is the non-formation of the lip during the pregnancy. This is one of the common congenital anomaly in the children. The opening in cleft lip can be just on the one side or both the sides. In case it is just on the one side it is called unilateral cleft lip and in case it is on both the sides then it is called bilateral cleft lip.

Cleft Palate - As mentioned above cleft palate is an opening in the roof of mouth. This leads to hole between nose and mouth. The opening in a case of cleft palate can be either only in the back of palate called soft palate or in the front of the palate called hard palate.

Diagnosis & Treatment

The anomaly scan that happens around 16-18 weeks is the best way to diagnose the cleft lip. In most cases cleft palate is diagnosed only after the child is born when the paediatrician examines the palate right after the birth.

In case the child is having both cleft lip and cleft palate problem then the plastic surgeon in India would prefer to operate upon the cleft lip first. The surgery for cleft lip can be done once the baby is 3 months old. Surgery is done under general anaesthesia. The surgery for cleft lip repair is called cheiloplasty. The main aim of the surgery is to close the opening or split and improve the shape of the lip aesthetically. In case the split is very wide then other procedures like adhesion help to bring parts of lips closer before the cleft lip surgery is performed. Cleft palate repair surgery is done when the child is 10 to 12 months old. This is bigger surgery than cleft lip repair. The surgery is called palatoplasty. It is also performed under general anaesthesia and need 2-3 days of stay in hospital. After the surgery for about a week child is kept on liquid diet and gradually shifted to soft diet before coming to normal dietary habits. Aim of a cleft palate repair surgery is to close the opening between nose and mouth, repair the palate in a way that it does not hinder speech and prevent food and liquid to leak out through the nose.

Best Doctors and Cost

Dr Singh is vastly experienced and the most sought after Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon for Cleft Lip & Palate Repair Surgery at Umeed Hospital, Purnia India. The cost of cleft lip and palate repair surgery depends upon the size of the defect. The surgery is done under general anaesthesia and needs admission for 1-2 days. The patient is called to the hospital for follow up after 7 to 10 days of surgery.