Repair of bilateral cleft lip, alveolus and palate Part 3: Follow-up criteria and late results.

The last part of this series outlines closure of the hard palate with various modifications depending on the remaining width of the cleft. Additionally the necessity and parameters of follow-up documentation are emphasized and detailed. For the two patients shown in Parts 1 and 2, the corresponding data are given. Accumulated facial growth curves of all the other patients treated the same way are also given. The main results are: (A) lip and nose can be reconstructed much more easily after repositioning of the premaxilla and (B) the reported anterior growth delay following use of the Latham appliance could not be confirmed during the ongoing follow-up. Copyright 2001 European Association for Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery.