When will cleft lip baby can get her first nose surgery to restore nasal symmetry and nostril? Thank you.
The classic rule of thumb is that the earliest possible time, assuming that your baby is healthy, is after 10 weeks of age for a baby with 10kg of weight and a hemoglobin of 10 grams. Depending upon other factors including the severity of the cleft , associated conditions and the preferences of your surgeon, surgery might be deferred until sometime after these basic goals have been achieved. Best wishes.
Usually the nose deformity is also addressed at the time of cleft lip repair. However, some kids, especially those with a complete cleft lip have a significant nasal deformity even after primary repair. These kids may need additional nasal surgery when they are older. Some surgeons like to wait until the child goes through puberty (age 13-15 after the nose has achieved its adult size). Some surgeons will address nose issues earlier, to try and avoid the child being teased by other children. Be sure to consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon soon, and connect with a Cleft Panel (often associated with major hospitals or Universities) where your child can be evaluated in a clinic that has a cleft "team" of plastic surgeons, ENT, dental, orthodontics, social work, speech pathologist, hearing specialist, geneticist, etc. that advocates for the appropriate care of your child.
Thank you for sharing your question. Depending on the cleft, the first option is narrowing the severity of the condition with orthopedic nasoalveolar molding to control any fly away premaxillas