title: Functional 3-D analysis of patients with unilateral cleft of lip, alveolus and palate (UCLAP) following lip repair.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Particular importance is attached to lip repair cleft surgery, as numerous functional and aesthetic aspects have to be taken into account simultaneously. Spatial assessment of function and depiction of dynamic deviations is reasonable for describing surgical outcome in addition to long standing static analysis. This study aimed at 3D analysis of the oral area after reconstruction in patients with unilateral cleft lip, alveolus and palate.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve patients with unilateral cleft lip, alveolus and palate who underwent surgery according to Tennison-Randall were enrolled in this study. Soft tissue dynamics was analysed during passive stretching and active contraction of the lips, and photogrammetry was used for comparing relative changes of length and displacement vectors. The spatial coordinates of surgically significant and reproducible landmarks along the red-white lip junction were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Static analysis of the lips revealed a good result with far-reaching symmetry in all cases. Regarding dynamic behaviour, two groups could be distinguished showing clear differences of passive distension and contraction behaviour.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite nominally identical surgical techniques and comparable static-morphological outcomes, dynamic analysis revealed differences pointing to a need for optimization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, Preventive and Pediatric Dentistry, Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald, Germany. proff@uni-greifswald.de
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Proff
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weingärtner
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rottner
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bayerlein
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schoebel
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kaduk
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gedrange
mesh_terms: D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002508:Cephalometry; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005152:Facial Muscles / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008046:Lip / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*