The Fetal Cleft Palate: II. Scarless Healing after in Utero Repair of a Congenital Model

Abstract

The role of fetal surgery in the treatment of non-life-threatening congenital anomalies remains a source of much debate. Before such undertakings can be justified, models must be established that closely resemble the respective human anomalies, and the feasibility and safety of these in utero procedures must be demonstrated. The authors recently described and characterized a congenital model of cleft palate in the goat. The present work demonstrates the methodology they developed to successfully repair these congenital cleft palates in utero, and it shows palatal healing and development after repair. A surgically created cleft model was developed for comparative purposes. Palatal shelf closure normally occurs at approximately day 38 of gestation in the caprine species. Six pregnant goats were gavaged twice daily during gestational days 32 to 41 (term, 145 days) with a plant slurry of Nicotiana glauca containing the piperidine alkaloid anabasine; the 12 fetuses had complete congenital clefts of the secondary palate. Repair of the congenital clefts was performed at 85 days of gestation using a modified von Langenbeck technique employing lateral relaxing incisions with elevation and midline approximation of full-thickness, bilateral, mucoperiosteal palatal flaps followed by single-layer closure. Six congenitally clefted fetuses underwent in utero repair, six remained as unrepaired controls. Twelve normal fetuses underwent surgical cleft creation by excision of a 20 x 3 mm full-thickness midline section of the secondary palate extending from the alveolus to the uvula, at 85 days of gestation. Six surgically clefted fetuses underwent concurrent repair of the cleft at that time; six clefted fetuses remained as unrepaired controls. At 2 weeks of age, no congenitally or surgically created clefts repaired in utero demonstrated gross or histologic evidence of scar formation. A slight indentation at the site of repair was the only remaining evidence of a cleft. At 6 months of age, normal palatal architecture, including that of mucosal, muscular, and glandular elements, was seen grossly and histologically. Cross-section through the mid-portion of the repaired congenitally clefted palates demonstrated reconstitution of a bilaminar palate, with distinct oral and nasal mucosal layers, after single-layer repair. In utero cleft palate repair is technically feasible and results in scarless healing of the mucoperiosteum and velum. The present work represents the first in utero repair of a congenital cleft palate model in any species. The use of a congenital cleft palate model that can be consistently reproduced with high predictability and little variation represents the ideal experimental situation. It provides an opportunity to manipulate specific variables, assess the influence of each change on the outcome and, subsequently, extrapolate such findings to the clinical arena with a greater degree of relevance.

Advances in Fetal Surgery: Current and Future Relevance in Plastic Surgery

“…Studies in this animal model have demonstrated that repairs heal without visible scar formation or inhibition of maxillary or mandibular growth postoperatively. [60][61][62][63][64][65][66] Unfortunately, the ideal gestational age for optimal wound healing coincides with a gelatin-like consistency of skin which makes suture placement very difficult. 67 Sullivan proposed using a special clip that joins together the cleft lip margins as an alternative to suturing.…”

69 Cleft Lip Rhinoplasty

“…15,16,17,18,19 To date, experimentation has been limited to animal models, and recently, a paper has focused on the alteration of nasal anatomy with in utero surgery. 20 The authors placed a hypertonic sponge in the nostril of a fetal lamb, allowing it to function as a tissue expander.…”

The Good and the Bad of Poisonous Plants: an Introduction to the USDA-ARS Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory

“…The cleft palate is believed to result from mechanical interference by the tongue between the palatal shelves at the programmed time of closure [16,17]. Although the goat model was primarily developed to study the mechanism of action of crooked calf syndrome in cattle, this model has become an important tool in the study of the mechanism of cleft palate induction in humans and fetal biomedical research [18,19]. Currently research is focused on the privileged period of fetal scarless healing and development of in utero surgical procedures to repair human cleft palates early in gestation.…”