Pregnancy and neonatal outcome following an antenatal diagnosis of cleft lip and palate.

Aim: To identify the significance of associated antenatal ultrasound findings on long-term prognosis following the antenatal diagnosis of cleft lip/palate [CL(P)].

Patients And Methods: Retrospective case note analysis of patients seen at a single tertiary referral centre with a diagnosis of CL(P). The patients were classified as those with unilateral or bilateral clefts and then further subdivided according to the presence of associated anomalies, and these were related to pregnancy and neonatal outcome.

Results: A total of 125 singleton pregnancies were seen at the antenatal diagnostic unit, 14 of which were subsequently lost to follow-up. Eighty-two (65.6%) had a diagnosis of unilateral CL(P) and 43 (34.4%) a bilateral CL(P). Seventy-five foetuses (67.5%) had no other anomalies detected on antenatal ultrasound. Seventeen patients (15%) underwent a termination of pregnancy. A normal postnatal outcome was seen in 79% of liveborn infants overall. Only 50% of foetuses diagnosed with a single minor anomaly and 4% of the foetuses in whom more than two minor anomalies or one major anomaly had been detected on ultrasound had a normal postnatal outcome. Infants with bilateral CL(P) had a significantly reduced incidence of a normal postnatal course (60% vs. 87.5%, P<0.01).

Conclusion: In cases of CL(P), there is a high incidence of associated anomalies detected on antenatal ultrasound and these significantly increase the risk of poor neonatal outcome.