Bilateral cleft lip and palate: improved maxillary and dental development.

Background: Maxillary growth deficiency is still a problem in children with repaired cleft lip-cleft palate, and little progress has been made on research for its prevention. An increase in the early diagnosis of maxillary growth deficiency prompted this study to obtain an early indication of the efficacy of a new protocol for better dental and maxillary development.

Methods: A new method for repair of the hard palate in infants with bilateral cleft lip-cleft palate that made innovative use of mucosa of the nasal septum and involved less extensive surgery was coupled with the repair of the lip at 18 months instead of at 8 months.

Septopalatal protraction for correction of nasal septal deformity in cleft palate infants.

Objective: It is proposed to test the practicality of septopalatal protraction in the unilateral cleft palate infant for purposes of straightening the nasal septum and thus relieving nasal airflow obstruction and its detrimental sequelae.

Methods: Alternate infants affected with complete unilateral palatal clefts had septopalatal protraction for a period of 6 to 8 weeks (protraction group; n = 4). Septal deviation was measured by a standardized technique that used computed tomography scans.

Treatment of an infant with a rare cleft resolved with use of an orthopedic appliance.

Cases of bilateral complete clefts of the primary palate and unaffected secondary palate are very rare. One of these cases as well as a new method of presurgical orthopedics to solve the protruding premaxilla protrusion is presented.