Archives of Plastic Surgery (Mar 2016)
The Importance of Multidisciplinary Management during Prenatal Care for Cleft Lip and Palate
Abstract
Background The prenatal ultrasound detection of cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) and its continuous management in the prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal periods using a multidisciplinary team approach can be beneficial for parents and their infants. In this report, we share our experiences with the prenatal detection of CL/P and the multidisciplinary management of this malformation in our institution's Congenital Disease Center. Methods The multidisciplinary team of the Congenital Disease Center for mothers of children with CL/P is composed of obstetricians, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, pediatricians, and psychiatrists. A total of 11 fetuses were diagnosed with CL/P from March 2009 to December 2013, and their mothers were referred to the Congenital Disease Center of our hospital. When CL/P is suspected in the prenatal ultrasound screening examination, the pregnant woman is referred to our center for further evaluation. Results The abortion rate was 28% (3/11). The concordance rate of the sonographic and final diagnoses was 100%. Ten women (91%) reported that they were satisfied with the multidisciplinary management in our center. Conclusions Although a child with a birth defect is unlikely to be received well, the women whose fetuses were diagnosed with CL/P on prenatal ultrasound screening and who underwent multidisciplinary team management were more likely to decide to continue their pregnancy.
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