[The occurrence of the cleft lip and/or palate in cleft-twins].

UNLABELLED: Twin pregnancies are associated with an increased risk of congenital malformation, illness and higher incidence of newborns during labour. They are noticed to have been more frequent in Poland in recent years. Based on the hospital records we reviewed the most common facial anomaly in twins--the cleft lip and palate. The frequency of this malformation occurrence in Poland is 1:502 in newborns. The etiopathogenesis of this malformation, in 17-20%, results from genetic factors. Researches on the occurrence of cleft lip and palate in twins strongly confirm the heredity of the malformation.

THE AIM OF THE STUDY: The analysis of the occurrence frequency of the cleft lip and/or palate in cleft-twins was the main objective in our study.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

In the study of 21 sets of cleft-twins, 6 of them were monozygotic and 15 were dizygotic. It was assessed on the basis of data that was received from parents, same-sex twins and physical likeness. Twin-siblings who had cleft anomalies, always had cleft lip and palate or an isolated cleft palate.

RESULTS

The outcome showed that twins were not a subject to increased or decreased risk of cleft anomalies. Moreover, clefts did not increase the risk of twin-siblings labour. The hypothesis that a monozygotic twin pregnancy is a factor of increased risk of cleft anomaly was not confirmed. Presented data can be used in genetic counseling. In all likelihood, in the nearest future there will be chances for working out the cleft prophylaxis.

CONCLUSION

Twin pregnancy does not changes risk of cleft anomaly and its occurrence does not increase of twin-siblings labor.