Treatment of 4-5 year old patients with cleft lip and cleft palate in Tawanchai Center: prevalence and type of associated malformations.

BACKGROUND

Patients with cleft lip/palate may have other associated malformations but the reported prevalence and type of associated malformations varied between different studies.

OBJECTIVE

To report the prevalence and the type of associated malformations in Northeastern Thai patients with cleft lip/palate.

MATERIAL AND METHOD: A retrospective study of 123 cleft lip/palate patients aged 4-5 years was carried out at the Tawanchai Cleft Center, Khon Kaen University during the periodfrom October to December 2011. Data were collected by reviewing the patients medical records.

RESULTS

Seventeen (14%) of the 123patients had associated malformations. Four (21%) of the 19patients with cleft palate, eleven (15%) of the 74 patients with clefts lip and palate, and two (7%) of the 30 patients with cleft lip had associated malformations. The organ systems affected by associated malformations were cardiovascular system (41%), craniofacial anomaly (23%), skeletal system (12%), urogenital system (12%) and central nervous systemn (12%). Atrial septal defect and tetralogy ofFallot were most common associated cardiovascular malformation found.

CONCLUSION

The high prevalence of associated malformationsfound in patients with cleft lip/palate emphasizes the needfor a thorough screening of associated malformations and congenital heart disease ofall cleft lip/palatepatients.