title: The Changing Nasolabial Dimensions following Repair of Unilateral Cleft Lip: An Anthropometric Study in Late Childhood.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Repair of unilateral cleft lip and nasal deformity in three dimensions requires anticipation of changes in the fourth dimension that can be determined by periodic and objective assessment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty patients with unilateral cleft lip with or without cleft palate underwent primary repair from 1999 to 2004 and were followed through 2014. Anthropometry was performed immediately postoperatively and at a first and second follow-up interval, occurring at an average age of 6.6 and 11.5 years, respectively. Measured differences between cleft and noncleft sides included heminasal width (subnasale-alare), cutaneous labial height (subnasale-crista philtri inferior, subalare-crista philtri inferior), and transverse labial width at the cutaneous-vermilion border (crista philtri inferior-chelion). Contrasts for the rates of growth were assessed with t tests for correlated measures. Using the same method, the difference between growth on cleft and noncleft sides in the second period was compared to that in the first period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Heminasal width remained narrower on the cleft side, but this difference decreased over time. Subnasale-crista philtri inferior remained longer on the cleft side; there was no difference between the rate of growth on the cleft and noncleft sides in the second period. Subalare-crista philtri inferior remained shorter on the cleft side by a consistent difference at both times of follow-up measurements. Transverse labial width at the cutaneous-vermilion border remained shorter on the cleft side, but this difference decreased in the second period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Understanding how nasolabial features change with growth is critical to crafting the initial repair of unilateral cleft lip and nasal deformity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Therapeutic, IV.
authors: Boston and Worcester, Mass.|From the Department of Plastic and Oral Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center and University of Massachusetts Medical School.
authors: Zena L
authors: ZL
authors: Knight
authors: Boston and Worcester, Mass.|From the Department of Plastic and Oral Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center and University of Massachusetts Medical School.
authors: Ingrid
authors: I
authors: Ganske
authors: Boston and Worcester, Mass.|From the Department of Plastic and Oral Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center and University of Massachusetts Medical School.
authors: Curtis K
authors: CK
authors: Deutsch
authors: Boston and Worcester, Mass.|From the Department of Plastic and Oral Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center and University of Massachusetts Medical School.
authors: John B
authors: JB
authors: Mulliken
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000601:surgery*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008046:Lip / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D009666:Nose / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000601:surgery; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D016896:Treatment Outcome