Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the surgical outcomes of cleft lip repair performed during the neonatal period.
Methods: A prospective, uncontrolled clinical interventional study was conducted on 372 neonates with cleft lip from January 2018 to January 2024 at the Craniofacial and Plastic Surgery Department, Vietnam National Children's Hospital.
Results: Among the patients, 203 were male and 169 were female, with an average age of 30 ± 5.63 days at the time of surgery. The mean weight at surgery was 3,546.14 ± 1,065.43 grams. Unilateral cleft lip accounted for 77.15%, while bilateral cleft lip comprised 22.85% of cases. The average surgical duration was 53 ± 16.45 minutes. Postoperative outcomes showed that 92% of patients achieved good results according to the Fisher scale, while 8% had moderate results, and no poor outcomes were recorded. Morphological indices of the lip and nose improved significantly after surgery. The nasal height ratio decreased from 1.5 ± 0.24 preoperatively to 1.25 ± 0.13 immediately after surgery, then gradually increased to 1.17 ± 0.21 at three months and 1.11 ± 0.12 at twelve months postoperatively. The nasal base width ratio increased from 0.33 ± 0.19 before surgery to 0.76 ± 0.23 immediately after, then stabilized at 0.85 ± 0.27 by twelve months.
Conclusion: Neonatal cleft lip repair was found to be a safe, feasible, and effective procedure. Early surgical intervention helped restore anatomical structures, improve feeding function, enhance lip-nose symmetry, and positively impact family psychology. This approach represents a promising direction for the future treatment of cleft lip and palate deformities.