Harelip
Cleft lip is a congenital pathology characterized by the development of a defect in the form of ungrown tissues of the upper jaw and nasal cavity with the formation of a hole or cleft lip and space above the lip. Harelip or cheiloschisis is not only an external defect that causes psychological discomfort, but also a real somatic problem, since this disease develops problems with nutrition, speech production, breathing.
Often lesions spread not only to the nasal cavity and lips, but also to the palate – there is also tissue splitting. This pathology is called cleft palate. This pathology is formed in the prenatal period, up to 7-8 weeks of pregnancy during the formation and laying of the organs of the maxillofacial region.
reasons
Harelip is a congenital genetic disease. Mutations provoking tissue cleavage can be caused by early toxicosis of a pregnant woman, unstable stressful situation, abuse of bad habits, use of drugs and medications. Some infectious diseases that develop in the first two months of pregnancy can also provoke genetic rearrangements and the development of a defect. The most common harelip occurs in children whose mothers are already in adulthood – older than 35 years.
Chemical agents are the most common cause of pathology, mental aspects are in second place in frequency, and injuries of a pregnant woman associated with a fetus are in third place.
classification
There are several forms of cleft lip and cleft lip formation. The most common form is a cleft on one side (mainly on the left), on both sides or affecting the lower lip. An incomplete and complete cleft is also isolated. In the case of a full form, the cleft affects the nasal cavity, forming a deep crack, and the incomplete form is manifested by a depression on the upper or lower lip.
symptoms
Cheiloschisis is a pathology that is detected immediately at birth during a visual examination of the baby. Upon examination, the doctor notes a characteristic deformation of the nasal cavity, the shape of the lip, a gaping cleft.
Babies with this pathology have impaired sucking and swallowing processes, therefore, in case of serious defects, infants are fed through a probe. If the defect is not eliminated in infancy, new problems may appear during teething – an incorrect bite, the absence of some teeth or an incorrect location, a tendency to develop caries.
treatment
Treatment of such pathology can only be surgical. Patients with cleft lip undergo plastic surgery, during which facial reconstruction and elimination of defects are carried out. The most optimal age for surgery is 4-6 months. The operation can be performed for children who do not have concomitant congenital pathologies – heart defects, developmental abnormalities, birth injuries, jaundice, etc.
In severe cases, large defects or with the development of several pathologies at the same time, the operation is performed in the first days of the child’s life, but only if there are no other pathologies, oncological diseases, anemia. Also, the child should have a positive weight gain.
Surgical intervention carried out in the first 14-20 days of life has the most favorable effect on the further development of the shape of the face, nasal cavity, nose and lips. All correction measures must be completed before the age when the child begins to speak, since speech problems can cause complexes and psychological problems at an older age.
With the development of dental pathology, complex treatment is carried out – implantation of missing teeth, orthodontic treatment, transplantation of extra or incorrectly positioned teeth.
