A comparison of the craniofacial morphology in 2-month-old unoperated infants with unilateral complete cleft lip and palate, and unilateral incomplete cleft lip

This paper reports a cephalometric analysis of the craniofacial morphology in infants with unoperated unilateral complete cleft lip and palate (UCCLP) and unoperated unilateral incomplete cleft lip (UICL). The purpose of the study was to determine the nature and extent of the cran iofacial deviations in UCCLP as compared to the morphology in UICL, which h as previously been shown to be close to normal. The samples comprised 82 infants with UCCLP (58 males and 24 females) and 7 5 with UICL (48 males and 27 females). The mean age was about 2 months in b oth groups. The cephalometric analysis of craniofacial morphology included the lateral, frontal, and axial projections. The data were presented as mea n plots of the craniofacial region including the calvaria, cranial base, or bits, nasal bone, maxilla, mandible, cervical column, pharynx, and soft-tis sue profile. The most pronounced deviations in the UCCLP group were observed in the maxi llary complex and the mandible. The most striking findings were: markedly i ncreased width of the maxilla, a short mandible, and bimaxillary retrognath ia except for the premaxillary area, which was relatively protruding and as ymmetric. The study did not support the hypothesis previously suggested in the literature that cleft lip and palate is a craniofacial anomaly as size and shape of the calvaria and cranial base were found to be normal. The etiology of cleft lip and palate is still incompletely understood. Base d on the present study, we suggest that facial type may be a liability fact or that could represent a developmental threshold increasing the probabilit y of cleft lip and palate.