Cleft lip & palate surgery "where do we stand in the 21st century?" based on study of referral patterns to a tertiary care centre

Abstract

A prospective study was carried out over the period of six years including 215 patients. The objective of this study has been to evaluate the types of the clefts, their predisposing factors, age at first presentation and need for revisional surgery and to compare these with published studies on the subject and to draw conclusion about the epidemiology and the facilities available for its surgical correction. Design: Prospective, observational study. Methodology: 215 patients were evaluated over a period of six years by filling a proforma, which was entered into database. Different parameters were evaluated. Conclusion: There are a significant number of cleft patients presenting for first time above the age of 10 years. A large number of inappropriately treated patients require revisional surgery because of lack of properly trained cleft surgeons. Due to lack of specialized cleft care teams in our country no patient in this study could get comprehensive care for this deformity. It is need of the hour to pr ovide multidisciplinary care to these patients.