Upper lip measurements at the time of surgery and follow-up after modifiedrotation-advancement flap repair in unilateral cleft lip patients

The purpose of this prospective study was to determine whether unilateral c left lip repaired by the rotation-advancement flap will grow short on the r epaired side. This study involved 56 patients with nonsyndromic unilateral cleft lip (31 with complete and 25 with incomplete cleft lip) who underwent a rotation-advancement flap repair by a single surgeon between 1989 and 19 97. Eleven patients were lost to follow-up. Forty-five patients have been f ollowed for a varying period of between 8 and 84 months (mean = 37 months). The upper lip was measured immediately after the lip repair and follow-up using calipers. The growth ratios of vertical, horizontal, and nostril sill dimensions were compared between the cleft side and the noncleft side of t he same face. Statistical analysis was preformed to compare the growths bet ween the cleft and noncleft sides. There was not a significant difference i n the growth ratios of vertical (Wilcoxon signed rank test, p = 0.85) and h orizontal dimensions (Student's t test, p = 0.18) between the cleft and non cleft sides. There was, however, a statistically significant difference in the growth ratios of nostril sill width between the cleft and noncleft side s (Student's t test, p = 0.02). Our findings indicated that a repaired unil ateral cleft retained the vertical and horizontal dimensions determined at the time of the initial repair.