Surgical Treatment of the Unilateral and Bilateral Cleft Lip Patients Using Mulliken Method: 10 Year Results

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Mulliken's method allows for normal nasal and lip growth, which in turn forms a natural shape of the philtrum. Therefore, we used a modified Mulliken's method to correct unilateral and bilateral cleft lip nasal deformities and followed the patients for 10 years. METHODS: Ninety-one patients, who had undergone repair of unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and nasal deformity simultaneously using Mulliken's method during the time period from June 1997 to June 2009, were enrolled into this study. To follow-up of the growth of the lips and nose after the operation, the following 5 anthropometric measurements were analyzed nasal tip protrusion, columellar length, upper lip height, cutaneous lip height, and vermilion mucosa height. RESULTS: Using this method, we obtained a result that there was no significant difference in the development of the lip compared to the normal control group, and that the bilateral cleft lip patients' nasal projection and columellar length was shorter than that in normal persons. Both measures were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Mulliken's method is a superb surgical technique, which enables the normal development of the nose and lip, which further allows for the innate philtrum appearance. The author's result does not seem to be meaningful, because the normal rate of nasal growth is slow before adolescence; however, we recommend additional follow-up and accordant treatment, if needed, once the nasal growth is complete.