Why is cleft palate surgery delayed

Post your question to Ask a Surgeon to get an authoritative and trustworthy answer from our ASPS member surgeons or share your journey with other people just like you on the Patient Community. The views expressed in Ask a Surgeon and the Patient Community are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Share your journey with other people just like you on the Patient Community or post your question to Ask a Surgeon to get an authoritative and trustworthy answer from our ASPS member surgeons. Share your journey with other people just like you on the Patient Community. My Account. Reconstructive Procedures Cleft Lip and Palate Repair Correcting Abnormal Development Cleft lip and palate repair surgically corrects abnormal development, restoring function to the lips and mouth and producing a more normal appearance.

Find a Plastic Surgeon. Patient Safety. Table of Contents Print. Next: Cost. Find Your Surgeon. View All Surgeons Near You. Once present, the scar tissue may prevent the palate muscles from working properly, or it may cause the palate to become too short to close off the passageway from the mouth to the nose. After the palate has been fixed, most children will immediately have an easier time swallowing food and liquids. But in about 1 out of every 5 children, a portion of the repair will split, causing a new hole to form between the nose and mouth.

If small, this hole may result in only an occasional minor leakage of fluids into the nose. If large, it can cause significant eating problems and, most importantly, can affect how the child speaks. Because of the importance of the palate in producing normal speech, success of the surgery is judged by how well the child develops speech patterns afterwards. The child should be assessed at yearly intervals by a trained speech and language pathologist. Previous experience has shown that the vast majority of these children will require some speech therapy to train their palate muscles to work properly after surgery.

Even with intense speech therapy, studies have shown that in about 1 out of every 4 children, additional surgery will be needed to further correct the palate enough to allow for proper speech production. We know that this is a difficult time and there is a lot of change. It is normal to feel scared or worried when there is so much change. It is important to look after yourself and your family during this time. April 2, Please read below for a message for cleft patients and their parents, from the Cleft Teams in the UK and Ireland.

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