title: Cortisol levels and sleep patterns in infants with orofacial clefts undergoing surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Traumatic events during early infancy might damage infants' psychobiological functioning, such as sleep and cortisol secretion. Infants born with orofacial clefts (OFCs) undergo functional, anatomical, and aesthetic surgery. The aim of the present study was to determine whether infants with OFC and undergoing OFC surgery show deteriorated sleep and cortisol secretion compared with healthy controls and with their presurgery status.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 27 infants with OFC (mean age: 22 weeks) and 30 healthy controls (mean age: 23 weeks) took part in the study. For infants with OFC, sleep actigraphy was performed and saliva cortisol was analyzed 5 days before, during, and 5 days after surgery. For controls, sleep and saliva cortisol were assessed similarly, except for the period taken up with surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with healthy controls, infants with OFC undergoing OFC surgery did not differ in sleep and cortisol secretion. Their sleep and cortisol secretion did deteriorate during the perisurgical period but recovered 5 days postsurgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In infants with OFC undergoing corrective surgery, the pattern of results for sleep and cortisol suggests that OFC surgery does not seem to constitute a traumatic event with long-term consequences.
authors.affiliation: Craniomaxillofacial Surgery, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland ; Hightech Research Center of Craniomaxillofacial Surgery, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Andreas A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Clinics of the University of Basel, Center for Affective, Stress, and Sleep Disorders, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Nadeem
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kalak
authors.affiliation: Craniomaxillofacial Surgery, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland ; Hightech Research Center of Craniomaxillofacial Surgery, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schwenzer-Zimmerer
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Clinics of the University of Basel, Center for Affective, Stress, and Sleep Disorders, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Edith
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Holsboer-Trachsler
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Clinics of the University of Basel, Center for Affective, Stress, and Sleep Disorders, Basel, Switzerland ; Department of Sport and Health Science, Division of Sport Science, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brand
keywords: cortisol; infants; orofacial cleft; sleep; surgery