Frequency of various craniofacial clefts observed in a single center during a period of 34 years

Abstract

Background. Orofacial clefts are the most common congenital anomalies of the head and neck. The aim of this paper is to present own group of patients with different types of isolated orofacial clefts. Material and method. A retrospective study presenting patients with different facial clefts was carried out in the group of 473 patients born in the city of Lodz. Results. In the whole group there were: 434 patients with cleft lip and/or palate, 28 with nose clefts and 11 with rare facial clefts classified according to Tessier categorization. Conclusion. In our group, the majority of cases comprised of typical cleft lip and/or palate. Nose clefts are not always a part of craniofacial clefts, but isolated nose clefts can occur and can be observed as midline defects or ala nasi anomaly. A simple system may be adequate for surgical repair, with the more detailed classification schemes important for further understanding of the disease.