Sequential treatment is a planned, comprehensive and systematic treatment of all the problems of a child with cleft lip and palate.
Sequential treatment consists of 2 main meanings: 1. Specialists from several related disciplines are involved in the treatment, not just surgical treatment. Related disciplines include: plastic surgery or maxillofacial surgery, pediatrics, otology, orthodontics, speech pathology, psychology, etc.
2. Each treatment should be carried out in a certain time sequence. For example: (1) around 3 months: unilateral cleft lip repair surgery; (2) around 6 months: bilateral cleft lip repair surgery; (3) 6-12 months: cleft palate repair surgery (conventional surgical method); (4) 1-4 years: repair of cleft palate by suture traction technique (if cleft palate repair is not done at 6-12 months), consultation and treatment of related disciplines, and ear examination and treatment; (5) 3-4 years: voice training (6) around 5 years old: palatoplasty if there is incomplete palatopharyngeal closure; (7) 5-7 years old: post-operative cleft lip deformity revision; (8) 6-9 years old: correction of receding maxillary deformity by suture traction technique if there is receding maxillary deformity; (9) 7-11 years old: alveolar cleft, repair of cleft bone graft; (10) 11-13 years old: orthodontic treatment to align teeth; (11) 13 -(12) After the age of 16: orthognathic surgery or osteotomy and traction surgery if there is jaw deformity. If you are not very clear about what sequential treatment is, don’t be nervous and worried, your doctor will tell you the step by step treatment arrangement according to your baby’s actual situation.