Treatment of 4-5 year old patients with cleft lip and cleft palate in Tawanchai Center: prevalence and type of associated malformations.

Background: Patients with cleft lip/palate may have other associated malformations but the reported prevalence and type of associated malformations varied between different studies.

Objective: To report the prevalence and the type of associated malformations in Northeastern Thai patients with cleft lip/palate.

Material And Method: A retrospective study of 123 cleft lip/palate patients aged 4-5 years was carried out at the Tawanchai Cleft Center, Khon Kaen University during the periodfrom October to December 2011. Data were collected by reviewing the patients medical records.

Results: Seventeen (14%) of the 123patients had associated malformations. Four (21%) of the 19patients with cleft palate, eleven (15%) of the 74 patients with clefts lip and palate, and two (7%) of the 30 patients with cleft lip had associated malformations. The organ systems affected by associated malformations were cardiovascular system (41%), craniofacial anomaly (23%), skeletal system (12%), urogenital system (12%) and central nervous systemn (12%). Atrial septal defect and tetralogy ofFallot were most common associated cardiovascular malformation found.

Conclusion: The high prevalence of associated malformationsfound in patients with cleft lip/palate emphasizes the needfor a thorough screening of associated malformations and congenital heart disease ofall cleft lip/palatepatients.