A clinical study on the tessier classification No.7 cleft patient

ABSTRACT

Tessier classification No. 7 cleft is a rare form of facial cleft, that is believed to be a fusional failure between the maxillary process and the mandibular process at the fetal stage. The synonyms of No. 7 cleft were lateral cleft lip and macrostomia. In Korea, only few clinical researches were reported and prolonged follow-up studies after surgery on No. 7 cleft were seldom reported. The significances of this study were clinical analysis of No. 7 cleft and to give basic information for diagnosis and treatment of No. 7 cleft. The author investigated 16 patients (10 males and 6 females) who had received corrective surgeries for No. 7 cleft in the Pusan National University Hospital from February. 1987 to April. 1997. The author examined pregnancy history, birth history, clinical manifestation, operative method and operative result through patient charts and interview. Periods of follow-up were from 4 months to 9 years and 11 months with average of 5 years. Among 1086 facial clefts, 16 cases were No. 7 clefts, which give the frequency of 1.5%. Among them 9 cases were right side and 6 cases were left side and 1 case was bilateral. As for acommpanying facial deformities, 9 cases had skin tags, 3 cases had hemifacial microsomia and 2 cases had incomplete cleft plates. As for acommpanying other region deformities, one case had spina bifida and the other case had dextrocardia. As for corrective surgeries, Z-plasty surgeries were chosen mostly. Medially, overcorrection was done at the oral commissure on cleft side during corrective surgery. When surveyed during followups, in 10 cases (62.5%), the patients and their parents replied very satisfied, and in 4 cases (25%), they replied satisfied. However, Only in one case (6.3%), the parent expressed dissatisfaction, and in another case, they were considered reoperation.