Late results of the surgical treatment of complete unilateral cleft lip and palate: soft tissue characteristics.

Sixty-one UCLP patients at 17-20 years of age treated in childhood by the same surgeon (Krauss) were invited for check-up examination to evaluate the late results of the surgical treatment. In the patients, the cleft lip was closed by a modified Le Mesurier procedure at 6-9 months of age and the cleft palate by a modified Veau procedure at 3-4 years of age. The "normal face" appearance showed 69% of the patients. More than one third of the population had successfully corrected nose deformities after the primary operation. In the most cases, the lip was also restored satisfactorily during the first treatment. Regular border between the lip and vermilion was observed in 62% of cases. The correct shape of hard palate was also found in 62% of the patients. The soft palate was well reconstructed in 92% of cases. In the most cases (95%), the speech was correct although the cleft palate was closed relatively late. The late results of the treatment can be considered satisfactory.