Cheiloschisis

Cheiloschisis is a congenital cleft lip, also known as cleft lip. This is one of the most common forms of cleft lip and palate.

With cheiloschisis, incomplete fusion of parts of the upper lip occurs during embryonic development. This results in the formation of a vertical fissure or cleft along the midline of the upper lip. The cleft can be unilateral or bilateral. Cheiloschisis usually does not affect the bony part of the upper jaw.

In children with cheiloschisis, the upper lip resembles a cleft lip due to a vertical cleft in the middle. Hence another name for this anomaly - “cleft lip”.

Cheiloschisis is often combined with cleft palate (palatoschisis). These defects can lead to problems with feeding, speech and hearing in the child.

Cheiloschisis usually responds well to surgical correction with sutures on the lip in the first months of the child's life. This allows you to restore the anatomy and function of the lip. If necessary, additional correction of the nose and palate is performed. The prognosis with timely surgical treatment is favorable.

Cheiloschisis is a rare hereditary disease that occurs in only 1 in 20-30 thousand children. It results in abnormal development of the upper lip, where it appears cleft and is unable to close the mouth. Cheiloschisis is called different variants of the phenomenon, but in fact it looks the same. The patient may have either part of the lip or the entire piece. This disease occurs under the influence of internal and external factors. Internal factors include genetic disorders. External factors are the impact of external conditions on a pregnant woman, in particular taking certain medications, alcohol, drugs, etc. During the formation of the fetus, internal and external factors mutually influence the growth and development of the body.

**Risk group** At risk are children born to mothers with a negative family history:

* born to mothers over 40 years of age; * with chronic diseases; * from areas with unfavorable ecology.