Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate with Cost

Cleft lip and cleft palate

Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth defects found among children. It is a split in the upper lip which occurs when features of the baby do not develop completely during infancy.

Today, we at MyMedTrip.com, shall brief you on  cleft lip and cleft palate surgery, its lengthy methods, its treatment options and the cleft lift and cleft palate costs. We will also let you know about the degree of cleft palate success rates in India, alongside sharing with you some pictures of cleft lip and cleft palate surgery before and after.

What is covered in the above mentioned cost for surgery?

This price includes surgery cost, doctor’s fee, standard prescribed tests and all standard expenses required at the hospital.

Cleft lip and cleft palate surgery

About cleft lip and cleft palate

Cleft lip and cleft palate are genetic developmental conditions that begin during infancy. When the lip formation occurs during the second month of pregnancy, tissues that amalgamate to form and structures of the face and head do not meet to complete the lip formation. This is what leads to a cleft lip.

Cleft lip’s split in the lip may be just on one side but sometimes they also develop in two sides, or in the middle. However, this splitting of the lip in the middle occurs very rarely.  If treated early via surgery, they can be cured with very minimal scarring.

A cleft palate is when the palate is split. A cleft palate sometimes accompanies a cleft lip.This occurs during the first three months of pregnancy while cleft lip is occurring.

Causes of cleft lip and cleft palate

The causes for this condition is unknown. Usually doctors hold the perception that a couple of genetic and environmental factors lead to this condition. While the genetic causes are things such as a family history, there are various environmental reasons for children being born with a cleft lip, a cleft palate, and both. Some of the reasons are:-

• The effects of certain medicines such as medicines like the treatment of epilepsy.
• Smoking.
• Diabetes.
• Vitamin deficiency.
• Obesity.
• Substance abuse such as alcohol consumption.
• Exposure to certain chemicals and/or viruses.

Problems associated with a cleft lip and cleft palate

Cleft lip and cleft palate condition leads to many functional problems in children. Some of them are:-

• Difficulty in eating.
• Difficulty in speaking.
• Frequent ear infection.
• Hearing problems.
• Dental problems.

Symptoms of a cleft lip and cleft palate

The symptoms of a cleft lip and cleft palate is evident. It is:-

• When the lip and roof of the mouth appears to be split after the birth of a child.
• When there is a small split in the lip area which may or may not extend up to the nose.
• When there is a split in the roof/palate of the mouth but is unaccompanied by a lip split.

Cleft lip and cleft palate treatment

Diagnosis- cleft lip and cleft palate are diagnosed almost immediately during an ultrasonography. However, rarely, a cleft palate may go unnoticed. But after birth, as it is evident, the diagnosis is easily made.

Team of doctors- the treatment begins with the formation of a team of doctors. The doctors will have been specialists of different arenas. Ideally the team would include:-

• A plastic surgeon
• Pediatric dentist
• Orthodontist
• Pediatrician
• Lactation specialist
• Hearing specialist
• Speech pathologist
• Psychologist
• Geneticist

There may be more doctors from different arenas. Together, they combine and make up a treatment plan. The treatment begins during infancy and continues till early adulthood.

Treatment plan- the treatment plan is designed depending on the degree and severity of the condition. However, there is a standard procedure that the team follows. This procedure involves spanning out the treatment across different time periods of the child’s life.

Beginning the treatment for cleft lip or cleft palate

The parents have the option of going in for treatment as soon as the baby is born.

Step I (molding)

The first step will be nasoalveolar molding, which is optional. The parents may opt for this or the doctor may suggest this. Ideally this involves the work of an orthodontist who prepares the lip and palate for successful surgery later on.

In nasoalveolar molding, a device is used to bring together the split parts of the lip and palate during the first three months of the baby’s birth. During this stipulated time, the orthodontist may be required to make adjustments in the device to mold the split parts and bring them closer to one another.

Step II (lip repair)

The second step for the treatment takes place when the baby is three- six months old. This is the time when the cleft lip is repaired via surgery. It is headed by a plastic surgeon.

The surgery takes one-two hours. The baby is usually under general anesthesia. The surgeon starts by making an incision beside the split. The incision is as long as the split. Following this, the surgeon takes tissues from the surrounding area and closes the lip. This will restore lip function of the baby.

Sometimes, a cleft lip repair surgery is done alongside a nasal repair surgery. In a nasal repair surgery, the structures of the lip’s surrounding area are realigned to give a proper structure to the lips.

Some of the side-effects of the surgery are irritability, swelling, bruising, and mild pain. In some cases, the surgeons use padding in the child’s hands to keep it away from scratching. Medicines to control these side-effects will be injected through the IV line. Stitches are removed in a week.

The required hospital stay is about one-two days.

Step III (palate repair)

After a cleft lip surgery, the child will have to undergo a cleft palate surgery to repair the damaged roof and restore normal functioning of the mouth such as eating.  It occurs during the ninth- eighteenth month of his/her birth, ideally before the child learns to speak.

The surgery takes two hours and commences under general anesthesia. The surgeon starts by making incisions.

Following this, the surgeon realigns the roof and tries to bring them closer to one another. Here, the palate is realigned and the roof is closed. There are three layers in realigning the palate which is then followed up by a procedure called the intravelar veloplasty that involves the closing of the palatal muscles.

The surgery is completed by closing up the wound with stitches. This surgery finally separated the nose from the mouth and restored many dental, nasal, and speech functions. In this surgery, a hospital stay of three days is required.

The complications of this surgery are similar to the complications of the cleft lip repair surgery. Alongside them, the child may additionally experience nasal congestion. This is however corrected by giving the child some medicines.

Step IV (palatal expansion)

A palatal expansion is done when the child is much older. In this, a device is attached to the upper bones or the teeth. The function of this device is to keep the palate in proper shape and prepare the child for bone grafting later in life. Thus, this is a pre-surgical procedure and is required only among children whose palates have collapsed as a result of the cleft.

A palatal expansion is done by an orthodontist during the time the child is developing a permanent set of teeth in their sixth- ninth years.

Step V (alveolar Bone graft)

This is done during the same time as a palatal expansion. This is a surgical procedure that lasts two-four hours and commences under a general anesthesia. Following this, the graft site which is the hip, is prepared for bone extraction.

A soft bone from the hip is taken and placed in the hole that had been created in the alveolar of the palate. Sometimes, additional tissues from surrounding areas are used to seal off further deficiency.

The surgery ends with closing off the incisions.

The child may wake with swelling, bruising, and pain. The doctors also attach pads in their hands to prevent them from stracting. The hospital stay is for about a day or two. Parents are given a set of instruction manuals and the  stitches are usually dissolvable or wear off with time.

This surgery is aimed at establishing a complete barrier between the mouth and the nose so that there is enough space for the teeth to grow and the food consumed does not spill over into the nasal area.

The complication of this surgery is similar to prior surgeries. A complication specific to this bone graft is incorrect growth of the tooth. This is corrected by the orthodontist after the surgery.

Step VI (Rhinoplasty)

A rhinoplasty is a surgical procedure done to correct or reshape the nasal area. This is done on the child if and when the child develops deformities in the nose. A rhinoplasty surgery realigns the cartilage that lies in between the nose and is aimed at improving the nasal function.

Orthodontic treatment

Alongside the above mentioned treatment procedure, the child needs to undergo orthodontic treatment in two phases of their life. In the first phase, the treatment is given when the child has just begun losing his/her baby teeth.

The need for this is that upon losing baby teeth, the regrowth of the set of permanent teeth occurs at abnormal positions. In the second phase, which occurs during adolescent years, the treatment involves leveling, aligning, and replacing any missing tooth.

Ending the treatment

The treatment for a cleft lip and cleft palate is completed before the skeletal features become solid. After the eighteenth year, it becomes difficult to mould the body’s structures. However, the treatment is designed after taking into consideration the patient’s degree and progression of deformity. tSometimes the treatment extends over twenty years of age.

Additional requirements

There are more procedures that may or may not be required such as a jaw surgery. This is required only in cases of severe maxillary retrusion which is a condition where the placement of the upper and lower jaws are reversed. In this case, the lower jaw appears a little bit more projected than the lower jaw.

Another requirement is a final surgery in the person’s early adulthood years. This is the final surgery that may be required if there are further problems with functioning of the lip and palate. Sometimes, the scars become big and are visible. For this, another surgery requiring its correction, can be done.

After cleft lip and cleft palate treatment

Children born with a cleft lip and cleft palate condition may suffer from psychological issues. Proper care, such as visiting a counselor or therapist, must be taken to address the issues the child may be facing.

Most children born with this condition recover with minimal complications. The functional issues resulting from this are entirely solvable. Sometimes, there may be dental problems in later years. This is also treatable via frequent visits to a dentist.

How can MyMedTrip.com help?

If you have decided to travel to India for cleft lip and cleft palate surgery, you may contact us on our Whatsapp number +91 9818237391 or email us at hi@mymedtrip.com The first consultation arranged by us is free of cost! We also provide visa invitation letters and help in facilitating the medical journey to India.

Throughout the journey, you shall be provided with one of our staff members for proper guidance through linguistic barriers, even though most of the hospitals and doctors we feature are well versed with Arabic, Russian,Bengali, and English.

If you have any further queries or questions related to  cleft lip and cleft palate surgery  in India, please do not hesitate to email us at the aforementioned address.

Frequently Asked Questions about cleft lip and cleft palate treatment

What is cleft lip?

A cleft lip is a split in the lip area extending from the lip up until the nose. The split may be at one place or at two places on the lip.

What is cleft palate?

A cleft palate is when there is a split in the roof or the palate of the person. This is the place when the tongue touches the upper part of the mouth.

What are the problems resulting from a cleft lip and cleft palate surgery?

The problems that a cleft lip and a cleft palate creates are eating problems, speech problems, hearing problems, and dental problems.

What is the treatment for cleft lip and cleft palate?

The treatment for a cleft lip and a cleft palate is lengthy. It starts when the child is born and continues till early adulthood.

Is it possible to recover from cleft lip and cleft palate?

Yes, with proper surgical intervention, counseling, assistance of doctors from different fields, this condition is treatable entirely.

How long does a cleft lip repair surgery take?

The cleft repair surgery takes one-two hours to be completed.

What kind of anesthesia is used for cleft lip surgery?

A general anesthesia is used for a cleft lip repair surgery.

When does cleft lip surgery occur?

The cleft lip surgery occurs when the child is three-six months old.

How long does cleft palate repair surgery take place?

The cleft palate surgery takes two-three hours.

What kind of anesthesia is used in a cleft palate repair surgery?

A general anesthesia is used to repair cleft palate surgery.

When does cleft palate repair surgery take place?

A cleft palate surgery takes place before the child learns to speak entirely. This is best done before the eighteenth month.

What are the other treatment procedures apart from cleft lip and cleft palate repair surgery?

The other treatments required are a rhinoplasty, orthodontic treatment, and further correctional surgeries which are based on requirement.