Full-thickness skin graft in the secondary repair of bilateral cleft lip -A case report

A 13-week-old hoy with bilateral complete deft lip and palate is presented. He had three attempted repairs of his lip elsewhere over a period of four weeks, and all of these broke clown. Consequently, a substantial amount of his prolabium became necrotic. After a preoperative orthodontic realignment of the cleft segments, a secondary lip/nose repair was performed. The muco sa was reconstructed by advancement flaps. The orbicularis muscle was disse cted out from its abnormal insertion and reconstructed in the midline. The philtrum was reconstructed with a full-thickness skin graft from the right postauricular area. The six-month postoperative result was satisfactory. Th is technique could be considered as an alternative to primary Abbe flap in secondary reconstruction of the cleft lip, although long-term follow-up mus t be obtained.