Early maxillary orthopedics in CLP cases: guidelines for surgery.

Two samples of complete cleft cases between five and seven years of age are compared (11 UCLP + 9 BCLP versus 21 UCLP + 12 BCLP). The same early orthopedic procedures were applied to all cases, but surgical management differed for the two groups: "classical" surgery (lip 3 months, palate 2--2 1/2 years) versus delayed conservative surgery (lip 6 months, soft palate 18 months, hard palate 6--8 years). It is evident that early maxillary orthopedic treatment is of little consequence for long-term development unless concomitant surgery complies with growth and functional requirements. In contrast to "classical" surgery, palatal closure in two steps is more favourable to skeletal growth and does not interfere to any relevant degree with speech development.