Contents:
- Medical Video: The Ten Stages Of Your Death
- The purpose of cleft lip surgery
- The most common stages of cleft lip surgery
- 1. Cleft lip repair surgery
- 2. Surgery to repair cleft palate
- 3. Additional cleft lip surgery
Medical Video: The Ten Stages Of Your Death
Cleft lip is one of the health problems that is more experienced by infants and children. Most cleft lip cases can be known shortly after the baby is born, even can be detected from 13 weeks of gestation through ultrasound. This condition is generally handled through the operation route. So, how is the cleft lip surgery done? Check out the information below.
The purpose of cleft lip surgery
Cleft lip surgery is the most important treatment for reuniting the cleft lip that forms in the baby's mouth. Not only helps normalize the physical condition of his face, cleft lip surgery also aims to facilitate the child when eating, talking, and listening.
In addition to cleft lip surgery, children will also be given further treatment in the form of speech therapy and dental and oral health care. This is so that children can return to speak fluently and adapt to their physical condition that is much more normal after surgery.
The most common stages of cleft lip surgery
Not all children with cleft lip will get the same treatment. Because, all this depends on the age of the child and how severe the condition of the cleft lip is experienced. In general, the following stages of cleft lip surgery are seen from the age of the child.
- Born - 6 weeks: feeding, hearing tests, and support for parents
- 3-6 months: cleft lip repair surgery
- 6-12 months: surgery to repair cleft palate
- 18 months: talk therapy
- 3 years: talk therapy
- 5 years: talk therapy
- 8-12 years: bone graft in the gap of the gums around the lips
- 12-15 years: orthodontic treatment and monitoring jaw growth
Judging from the schedule of treatments, cleft lip patients need at least 1 to 2 operations. To be clearer, here are the types of cleft lip surgery that can be done.
1. Cleft lip repair surgery
Cleft lip repair surgery is the first type of cleft lip surgery. This operation is generally performed on three-month-old children who experience cleft lip.
For 1 to 2 hours, the doctor will perform the operation by joining the lip gap and closing it with stitches. Once the surgery is complete, your child is recommended to stay in hospital for 1 to 2 days, at least until the stitches recover.
Yes, your child will have a slight scar on his lips. But calm down, the surgeon will try to disguise the scar with natural lines on the lips so that the child's lips will look as normal as possible.
2. Surgery to repair cleft palate
After the cleft lip repair surgery is complete, the doctor will perform a second stage cleft lip surgery in the form of cleft palate repair. This type of surgery is usually performed on children aged 6-12 months.
In this operation, the doctor will close the gap while regulating the muscles in the lining of the child's palate. This process usually takes around 2 hours until it is completely finished.
Just like the first stage cleft lip surgery, your child is advised to stay in hospital for 1-3 days until his health condition is fully restored. The difference is that the stitch marks are not too visible from the outside because they are done on the inside of the mouth.
3. Additional cleft lip surgery
In some cases, children who experience cleft lip require additional surgery. This depends on the needs of each patient and the severity of the effects of the cleft lip experienced by the patient.
A number of additional cleft lip surgeries include:
- Bone graft surgery to repair gaps in the gums, stabilize the maxilla, and facilitate the growth of permanent teeth. This is usually done in children aged 8-12 years.
- Rhinoplasty, namely surgery to improve the shape of the nose to be more perfect.
- Jaw repair surgery. Some children with cleft lip tend to have smaller mandibles than other normal children.
- Ear canal surgeryThis is done by attaching a small coil-shaped tube to the eardrum. This aims to prevent the buildup of ear fluids which can cause hearing loss in children.
Just like other types of surgery, cleft lip surgery also has side effects such as bleeding, infection, scars, and temporary or permanent disorders of the nerves, blood vessels, or other body structures. So, consult your doctor first to get advice on the type of cleft lip surgery that is right for your child.
