“How effective is cleft lip surgery?”

Yes, watch You Tube videos.

There are very, very few times that cleft surgery does not do great. I will tell you to get the surgery done.
I wish your family well.

Oledochouse

This kind of surgery is one of the easy ones to do, but it's a surgery with all the risks it comes with. If the boy has been very well studied, discharge any other problem, and you have a very well trained surgeon, it will take out your fear. Both will have around 7 to 10 weeks, a little heavy, but sometimes I have seen at their age no more than 10 days of problems. Do it, you and your son will be happy.

Cleft palate surgery is typically a very successful procedures. There are some patient specific elements such as width of the cleft and length that may increase the likelihood of a persistent oronasal fistula. Certainly 9 months old is close to the usual recommended 10 to 12 months of age. Also, keep in mind that close to 90 percent of children with cleft palate will need ear tubes which should be placed at the time of the palate repair to avoid an additional anesthesia. Finally, make sure your surgeon is a board certified plastic surgeon with additional training in craniofacial surgery and that your child is seen as part of an ACPA approved team.

Hope this helps,

Hugo St-Hilaire, MD, DDS, FACS

It is completely normal to be nervous before surgery. Rest assured that cleft palate surgery is generally very safe and successful. To be able to perform this type of surgery, your surgeon underwent extensive training, and is highly qualified. It's important to note that cleft palate requires a multidisciplinary team approach for treatment that will span much of your child's early years. Team members will include your surgeon, dentists, audiologists, and speech pathologists to name a few.

Monica Kieu, DO

Yes, very successful.