Cleft Lip and Palate

Cleft lip, popularly known as rabbit lip, is a disease that develops in the prenatal period and occurs due to facial midline junction defect.

Cleft lip and palate occurs in 1 in every 1000 live births worldwide. This rate varies with genetic and environmental factors.

The cause of the disease is not fully known today, but the main factors that cause cleft lip and palate are consanguineous marriages, smoking and alcohol use during pregnancy, epilepsy medications, blood thinners, vitamin and folic acid deficiencies.

After a baby is diagnosed with cleft lip, surgery is performed to correct the baby’s lip anatomy. The lip is corrected both functionally and cosmetically. Cleft lip and palate are observed in a wide range of cases, and the existing anomaly is taken into account in treatment planning by evaluating the location of the cleft, whether it is bilateral or not, and whether it is a complete or incomplete cleft.

In order for cleft lip surgery to be performed, the baby must be at least 10 weeks old and weigh more than 5 kilos.

Cleft palate surgery is performed around 7-9 months.