Cleft Lip and Palate

Helping kids face the future with confidence

About one in every 600 births results in a child with clefts of the lip or palate; in fact, facial clefts are now one of  the most common birth defect in the U.S. Children with facial clefts have various interrelated problems involving the brain; the development of the skull and facial bones; the structure of the ear and the ability to hear; the teeth and the ability to chew and eat; and the mouth and nose and the ability to breathe and speak. Reconstruction must be staged with the child's growth in order to restore the facial skeleton and functionality as completely as possible.

Shriners Hospital for Children – Chicago has been treating children with cleft lip and palate for more than 35 years. This program is currently being expanded under leadership of Pravin K. Patel, M.D. , chief of plastic and craniofacial surgery, and Mary O’Gara, CCC-SLP, program director, as part of a pilot for national Shriners cleft lip and palate program. In November 2005, cleft lip & cleft palate was approved to be part of the overall system’s mission. Chicago’s leadership position is part of the overall plan to meet the goals for this new mission.

The program uses the team model approach, in concert with the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association protocol for meeting the standards for quality of care. Team members include experts in

Plastic and reconstructive surgery
Ear, nose and throat surgeons
Speech therapy
Audiology
Psychology
Dentistry
Orthodontics
Prosthodontics
Radiology
Genetics
Pediatrics

The comprehensive approach, where the patient and family meets with all members of the treatment team in the clinic on the same day, is efficient for both caregiver and family.

Patients are typically identified and assessed soon after birth. Treatment is a long-term commitment, often requiring interactions with patients several times a year up until and through a patient’s 18th birthday. Most of these interactions can occur on an outpatient basis, and new telemedicine capabilities being approved for the hospital will be a valuable tool for seeing long-distance patients who only require a screening or minimal check-up visit. Each child is evaluated by the team of professionals who will coordinate the child’s treatment from birth through adolescence. Nurse clinicians specializing in the care of children with facial cleft work closely with each child and parent.

What to expect in your child's treatment

FAQs: Cleft lip
FAQs: Cleft palate