Roentgenocephalometric study of complete unilateral cleft lip and palate patients treated with delayed closure of the hard palate--a preliminary report.

Cephalometric radiographs of a sample of complete unilateral cleft lip and palate patients (15 males, 15 females, aged 6.5 to 7.5 years) were analysed. In most cases, an adhesion cheiloplasty was done at 3 months of age, followed by definitive cheiloplasty at 6 to 12 months, then by posterior palatoplasty at 1.5 years. The hard palate was not repaired till the age of 5-7 years. This preliminary study indicated that: (1) The growth of maxilla and mandible shows no sex difference, except the anteroposterior maxillary length, which is longer in the cleft males. (2) The maxilla of our group is more retruded than that of normal noncleft children. (3) The mandibular growth is essentially normal except the higher mandibular plane in the cleft females. (4) The intermaxillary relation and skeletal profile of the cleft males are more favourable than in the early closure group.