What We Learned from Performing the Inverse Malek Procedure to Repair Bilateral Cleft Lips and Palates: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Background: This study reviews the surgical and functional outcomes of children diagnosed with a bilateral cleft lip and palate and treated by the same surgical team following specific surgical protocols 18 years after surgery and during the follow-up. Methods: Based on a single-center retrospective design, demographic and surgical data were gathered by the authors from international institutions. Most of the data were quantitative in nature, and descriptive statistical and non-parametric tests were employed for analysis. All children born with a bilateral cleft from 1982 to 2002 were considered. Children affected by a syndrome were excluded. Complications and speech results were the main items measured. Results: Thirty patients were selected; 73.3% were treated using the inverse Malek procedure, and 26.7% underwent a modified two-stage procedure. Seventy percent developed an oronasal fistula. An alveolar bone graft was performed in 83%, and 53.3% underwent Le Fort osteotomy. Thirty-six percent required a pharyngeal flap, with good speech results. The median number of times general anesthesia was used among all the interventions considered was 5.5 (4.25-6). Conclusions: This study presents the long-term results of using the inverse Malek procedure to treat children with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. It is shown that this is related to a high risk of developing a fistula, but has good long-term speech results.

Unilateral Cleft lip and Palate: Long-Term Results of the Malek Technique.

To review at 18 years-old the results of surgery and follow-up of children born in our hospital with unilateral cleft lip and palate (uCLP). They were operated at the time by the same surgeon, following the same primary surgical procedure (Malek).Retrospective cohort study.Tertiary Children's Hospital.All children born with uCLP between 1996 and 2001 and operated in our hospital. Syndromic children were excluded.Results of the primary surgery, ear-nose-throat interventions, maxillo-facial surgery and final phonatory results.Seventy-nine files of children born with a cleft were reviewed: 34 were taken into consideration for uCLP: 15 right and 19 left. They were operated in two stages, following the inverse Malek procedure. Sixty per cent had a fistula. Eighty-eight percent had grommets. Ninety-seven percent had an alveolar graft at a median age of nine (5-10) and 22% underwent a Le Fort osteotomy. Seven percent were operated for a pharyngeal flap, 29% for a secondary lip surgery at a mean age of 12.8 and 29% for a late rhinoplasty at a mean age of 14.8 years. A median of 5.7 multidisciplinary consultations was realized with a median number of general anesthesia of 7.1 (4-13).This retrospective study shows that the Malek procedure for children born with uCLP is related to a high risk of fistula but good long-term phonatory results. Twenty percent of children were operated for a Le Fort procedure and one-third for a secondary lip procedure and rhinoplasty.

Final Posttreatment Occlusion in Patients With Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate final posttreatment occlusion in patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (cUCLP) by comparing (1) 3 treatment centers, (2) males and females, (3) cleft and noncleft sides, (4) right- and left-sided clefts, and (5) orthodontic treatment with/without orthognathic surgery (OS). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. PATIENTS: Blinded posttreatment dental casts of 56 patients (19.4 ± 1.4 years) with cUCLP from 3 centers in Switzerland. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Occlusal assessment using the modified Huddart/Bodenham (MHB) index. RESULTS: Our sample comprised 35 males and 21 females, 46 with left- and 10 with right-sided clefts, of which 32 had undergone OS. The final posttreatment occlusion showed a median MHB score of 0 (interquartile range: -1.0 to 2.0) in the total sample and did not seem to depend on treatment center, sex, or OS. The MHB scores for the anterior buccal and the buccal segments were more negative on the cleft than on the noncleft side (P = .002 and P = .006, respectively). When the cleft was on the left side, the MHB score tended to be more positive in the labial (P = .046) and anterior buccal segments (P = .034). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows a very satisfactory final posttreatment occlusion in patients with cUCLP. The more constricted buccal occlusion on the cleft side emphasizes the attention that should be given in correcting the more medially positioned lesser maxillary segment. The influence of cleft-sidedness should be analyzed further on a sample including more patients with right-sided clefts.

[New features in the management of labio-maxillo-palatal clefts at the CHUV]. / Nouveautés dans la prise en charge des fentes labio-maxillo-palatines au CHUV.

The labio-maxillofacial cleft (LMFC) penalizes the child from birth by its aesthetic, functional, psychological and social repercussions. The prognosis is conditioned by a multidisciplinary care that starts from the antenatal period to continue until the end of growth. The treatment is long and complex. This explains the multiplicity of techniques and the variability of schedules according to the teams. The purpose of this article is to describe the protocol of management of the LMFC within the multi-disciplinary team in Lausanne and to emphasize the novelties in both surgical and organizational plan.

La fente labio-maxillo-palatine (FLMP) pénalise l'enfant dès sa naissance par ses retentissements esthétiques, fonctionnels, psychologiques et sociaux. Le pronostic est conditionné par une prise en charge multidisciplinaire qui commence dès la période anténatale pour se poursuivre jusqu'à la fin de la croissance. Le traitement est long et complexe. Ceci explique la multiplicité des techniques et la variabilité des calendriers selon les équipes. Le but de cet article est de décrire le protocole de prise en charge des FLMP au sein de l'équipe pluridisciplinaire lausannoise et en mettant l'accent sur les nouveautés tant sur le plan chirurgical qu'organisationnel.

Computer-Assisted Virtual Planning for Surgical Guide Manufacturing and Internal Distractor Adaptation in the Management of Midface Hypoplasia in Cleft Patients.

We are reporting the treatment of severe maxillary hypoplasia in two patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate by using a specific approach combining the Le Fort I distraction osteogenesis technique coupled with computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing customized surgical guides and internal distractors based on virtual computational planning. This technology allows for the transfer of the virtual planned reconstruction to the operating room by using custom patient-specific implants, surgical splints, surgical cutting guides, and surgical guides to plate or distractor adaptation.

Grommets and speech at three and six years in children born with total cleft or cleft palate.

OBJECTIVE: Grommets may be considered as the treatment of choice for otitis media with effusion (OME) in children born with a cleft. But the timing and precise indications to use them are not well established. The aim of the study is to compare the results of hearing and speech controls at three and six year-old in children born with total cleft or cleft palate in the presence or not of grommets. METHODS: This retrospective study concerns non syndromic children born between 1994 and 2006 and operated for a unilateral cleft lip palate (UCLP) or a cleft palate (CP) alone, by one surgeon with the same schedule of operations (Malek procedure). We compared the results of clinical observation, tympanometry, audiometry and nasometry at three and six year-old. The Borel-Maisonny classification was used to evaluate the velar insufficiency. None of the children had preventive grommets. The Fisher Exact Test was used for statistical analysis with p<0.05 considered as significant. RESULTS: Seventy-seven patients were analyzed in both groups. Abnormal hearing status was statistically more frequent in children with UCLP compared to children with CP, at three and six years (respectively, 80-64%, p<0.03 and 78-60%, p<0.02), with the use of grommets at six years in 43% of cases in both groups. Improvement of hearing status between three and six year-old was present in 5% of children with UCLP and 9% with CP, without the use of grommets. CONCLUSION: The use of grommets between three and six year-old was not associated to any improvement of hearing status or speech results children with UCLP or with CP, with a low risk of tympanosclerosis. These results favor the use of grommets before the age of three, taking into account the risk of long term tympanosclerosis.

Total mandibular subapical osteotomy and Le Fort I osteotomy using piezosurgery and computer-aided designed and manufactured surgical splints: a favorable combination of three techniques in the management of severe mouth asymmetry in Parry-Romberg syndrome.

Although its pathogenesis remains obscure, Parry-Romberg syndrome (PRS) has been associated with the linear scleroderma en coup de sabre. PRS is characterized by unilateral facial atrophy of the skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscles, and bones with at least 1 dermatome supplied by the trigeminal nerve. Facial asymmetry represents the most common sequela and can involve the soft tissues, craniomaxillofacial skeleton, dentoalveolar area, and temporomandibular joint. Although orthognathic procedures have been reported for skeletal reconstruction, treatment of facial asymmetry has been directed to augmentation of the soft tissue volume on the atrophic side using different recontouring or volumetric augmentation techniques. Total mandibular subapical osteotomy has been used in the management of dentofacial deformities, such as open bite and mandibular dentoalveolar retrusion or protrusion associated with an imbalance between the lower lip and the chin. Management of orthognathic procedures has been improved by the recent introduction of stereolithographic surgical splints using computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) technology and piezosurgery. Piezosurgery has increased security during surgery, especially for delicate procedures associated with a high risk of nerve injury. The present report describes a combined total mandibular subapical osteotomy and Le Fort I osteotomy using piezosurgery and surgical splints fabricated using CAD and CAM for the correction of severe mouth asymmetry related to vertical dentoalveolar disharmony in a patient with PRS.

Maxillary advancement and transpalatal expansion using internal distraction in a patient with cleft lip and palate.

Correction of sagittal and transverse maxillary discrepancies in patients with cleft lip or palate remains a challenge for craniofacial surgeons. Distraction osteogenesis has revolutionized the conceptualization and approach to the craniofacial malformations and has become a reliable and irreplaceable part of the surgical armamentarium. We are reporting a case of sequential maxillary advancement and transpalatal expansion using internal distraction in a patient with unilateral cleft lip and palate presenting with severe maxillary sagittal and transverse deficiencies.

Speech prognosis and need of pharyngeal flap for non syndromic vs syndromic Pierre Robin Sequence.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate speech outcome and need of a pharyngeal flap in children born with nonsyndromic Pierre Robin Sequence (nsPRS) vs syndromic Pierre Robin Sequence (sPRS). METHODS: Pierre Robin Sequence was diagnosed when the triad microretrognathia, glossoptosis, and cleft palate were present. Children were classified at birth in 3 categories depending on respiratory and feeding problems. The Borel-Maisonny classification was used to score the velopharyngeal insufficiency. RESULTS: The study was based on 38 children followed from 1985 to 2006. For the 25 nsPRS, 9 (36%) pharyngeal flaps were performed with improvements of the phonatory score in the 3 categories. For the 13 sPRS, 3 (23%) pharyngeal flaps were performed with an improvement of the phonatory scores in the 3 children. There was no statistical difference between the nsPRS and sPRS groups (P = .3) even if we compared the children in the 3 categories (P = .2). CONCLUSIONS: Children born with nsPRS did not have a better prognosis of speech outcome than children born with sPRS. Respiratory and feeding problems at birth did not seem to be correlated with speech outcome. This is important when informing parents on the prognosis of long-term therapy.

Respiratory distress in Pierre Robin: successful use of pharyngeal tube.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The study describes a safe and least aggressive method to resolve airway obstruction in children born with a Pierre Robin sequence (PRS). METHODS: In a retrospective study, we analyzed the assessment of airway obstruction at birth and for the following months. The definition of PRS was based on the anatomical anomaly triad cleft palate, micro/retrognathia, and glossoptosis with some degree of airway obstruction. We defined 3 categories of children depending on their difficulties of breathing or eating at birth. RESULTS: From 1984 to 2004, 48 children were born in our hospital with a diagnosis of PRS. There were 32 children with nonsyndromic PRS (nsPRS) and 16 with syndromic PRS (sPRS): respectively, 40% (13) and 32% (5) had slight respiratory and/or feeding problems; 26% (8) and 56% (9), isolated feeding difficulties; 34% (11) and 12% (2), severe respiratory and feeding problems. Pharyngeal tube was used in 8 children with nsPRS and in 2 with sPRS. Neonatal surgery was not necessary. Primary palatoplasty was performed at almost the same time as for the patients with isolated cleft palate. CONCLUSIONS: Children born with PRS have a good prognosis at birth provided that adequate respiratory support is given using either positive airway pressure mask or pharyngeal tube.

Maxillary expansion using transpalatal distraction in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to evaluate prospectively the use of a transpalatal distractor for surgically assisted rapid palatal distraction osteogenesis in the treatment of severe unilateral maxillary constriction of patients with cleft lip and palate following alveolar bone grafting. METHODS: The authors analyzed the clinical and radiographic data of eight patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate. Follow-up examinations were performed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. RESULTS: All of the patients had satisfactory palatal expansion and correction of the dental crossbite without major complications. None of the children in this study were noncompliant with the prescribed duration of the active distraction period. CONCLUSIONS: Surgically assisted rapid palatal distraction osteogenesis using a transpalatal distractor results in a high rate of success in correcting maxillary transverse width discrepancies and dental crossbite and offers a harmonious maxillary arch shape in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate.

Simultaneous maxillo-mandibular distraction osteogenesis in hemifacial microsomia: a new technique using two distractors.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to prospectively evaluate the use of two distractors for a simultaneous maxillo-mandibular distraction osteogenesis without the use of intermaxillary fixation in the restorative treatment of hemifacial microsomia. METHODS: The authors analyzed the clinical and radiological data of five patients with type I hemifacial microsomia (one patient), type IIa hemifacial microsomia (two patients), and Goldenhar syndrome (two patients). Follow-up examinations were performed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. RESULTS: All the patients had satisfactory correction of the facial asymmetry without complications. Complete horizontalization of the occlusal plane was achieved in three patients, whereas a cant of 2 degrees persisted in two patients. None of the children in this study were noncompliant with the prescribed duration of the active distraction period, nor did they experience technical problems with the two devices. CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneous maxillo-mandibular distraction osteogenesis resulted in a high rate of success in correcting facial asymmetry as well as occlusal plane cant. It offered good aesthetic satisfaction.