29. National Pediatric Surgery Congress and 27. National Congress of The Egyptian Pediatric Surgical Association

Purpose:Treatment of cleft lip during neonatal period is controversial, those who recommend delayed closure argue better esthetic results, midface growth disturbance may occur and the added risk of general anesthesia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate nutritional status , psychological impact and esthetic results when doing repair during neonatal period.                                            

Methods: This was a prospective study of sixteen neonates with   bilateral labial clefts. Assessment of nutritional status using anthropometrical parameters and clinical examination, assessment of suckling, esthetic results and parent satisfaction were done after surgical repair of cleft lip for at least six months..

Results: Better suckling was observed after operation. Weight, length and head circumference at birth and six months later were identical with reference curve value. The weight, length and head circumference curves lies between 5th and 97th percentiles. Good general condition of the infants  was observed. High satisfaction was noted by the parents. Good esthetic results was also noted.                                              

Conclusion:Early neonatal repair is recommended to manage difficulty of feeding, better growth and development, good esthetic results and high        satisfaction of the parents.        

Key words: Cleft lip-Neonatal repair-Nutritional status-Growth and development-Esthetic results-Psychological impact