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Cleft lips, palates and microtias are types of congenital craniofacial deformities that can be treated surgically.  Cleft lips and palates comprise the most common birth defects in the US.  Approximately 1/600 children is born with a cleft lip/palate.

Cleft Lip
A cleft lip is a type of congenital deformity, or birth defect, that usually occurs early in pregnancy.   A cleft lip presents as a separation of the two sides of the upper lip.  Usually the upper lip affected.  Cleft lips may present as mild, partial or complete, or on one or both sides of the lip (uni- or bilateral).  Children with cleft lips also may or may not have a cleft palate.  The cause of such defects is not well understood, but a combination of environmental and genetic factors seem to play a role.  Cleft lips can be successfully treated surgically at about the 2-3 months of age.

A unilateral incomplete cleft lip:

Bilateral complete cleft lip:

Cleft Palate:
A cleft palate may or may not occur in conjunction with a clef lip. A cleft palate consists a defect or gap in the soft or hard palate, or both. Cleft palates also can present on one side r both sides of the hard palate (uni- or bilateral). This type of defect can affect a patient’s feeding, speech, and facial growth. Cleft palates can be successfully repaired surgically – usually at about the first year of life.

Example of an incomplete cleft palate:

Example of a unilateral complete cleft palate (and cleft lip):

Example of a bilateral cleft palate and lip:

More information at the cleft palate foundation:
http://www.cleftline.org/parents