Current concepts in cleft care: A multicenter analysis

Publication date: Available online 6 February 2018
Source:Journal of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery
Author(s): Oliver C. Thiele, Matthias Kreppel, Anton Dunsche, Andre M. Eckardt, Michael Ehrenfeld, Bernd Fleiner, Volker Gaßling, Gerd Gehrke, Marcus Gerressen, Martin Gosau, Alexander Gröbe, Stefan Haßfeld, Max Heiland, Bodo Hoffmeister, Frank Hölzle, Cornelius Klein, Maximilian Krüger, Alexander C. Kübler, Norbert R. Kübler, Johannes J. Kuttenberger, Constantin Landes, Günter Lauer, Markus Martini, Erich T. Merholz, Robert A. Mischkowski, Bilal Al Nawas, Emeka Nkenke, Jörn U. Piesold, Winnie Pradel, Michael Rasse, Martin Rachwalski, Rudolf H. Reich, Daniel Rothamel, Jan Rustemeyer, Martin Scheer, Henning Schliephake, Rainer Schmelzeisen, Alexander Schramm, Wiebke Schupp, Wolfgang J. Spitzer, Erwin Stocker, Christian Stoll, Hendrik Terheyden, Alexander Voigt, Wilfried Wagner, Dieter Weingart, Richard Werkmeister, Jörg Wiltfang, Christoph M. Ziegler, Joachim E. Zöller
The current surgical techniques used in cleft repair are well established, but different centers use different approaches. To determine the best treatment for patients, a multi-center comparative study is required. In this study, we surveyed all craniofacial departments registered with the German Society of Maxillofacial Surgery to determine which cleft repair techniques are currently in use. Our findings revealed much variation in cleft repair between different centers. Although most centers did use a two-stage approach, the operative techniques and timing of lip and palate closure were different in every center. This shows that a retrospective comparative analysis of patient outcome between the participating centers is not possible and illustrates the need for prospective comparative studies to establish the optimal technique for reconstructive cleft surgery.



http://ift.tt/2FTCbmR