Abstract
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to examine possible associations between severity of clefting in infants and maxillary growth in children with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate.
Design:
This was a retrospective study of measurements made on infant maxillary study casts and maxillary cephalometric variables obtained at 5 to 6 years of follow-up.
Setting:
The study was performed at the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery of New York University Medical Center, New York, New York.
Patients:
Twenty-four consecutive nonsyndromic unilateral complete cleft lip and palate patients treated during the years 1987 to 1994.
Interventions:
All the patients received uniform treatment (i.e., presurgical orthopedics followed by gingivoperiosteoplasty to close the alveolar cleft combined with repair of the lip and nose in a single stage at the age of 3 to 4 months). Closure of the palate was performed at the age of 12 to 14 months.
Results:
Infant maxillary study cast measurements correlated in a statistically significant manner with maxillary cephalometric measurements at age 5 to 6 years.
Conclusions:
The results demonstrate the large variation in the severity of unilateral cleft lip and palate deformity at birth. Patients with large clefts and small arch circumference, arch length, or both demonstrated less favorable maxillary growth than those with small clefts and large arch circumference or arch length at birth.