What is Sequential Therapy?
Sequential therapy 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.
One is that specialists from multiple related disciplines are involved in the treatment, not just surgical treatment. Related disciplines include: oral and maxillofacial surgery, pediatrics, otology, orthodontics, speech pathology, psychology, etc.
Second, each treatment should be performed in a certain time sequence. For example, cleft lip surgery at 3 months, cleft palate surgery from 6 to 12 months; otologic hearing examination and placement of ventilation tubes; voice training at 3 to 4 years of age; orthodontics at about 13 years of age; and so on.
Sequential cleft lip and palate treatment
Birth ~ 3 months Consultation and consultation with oral and maxillofacial surgery, pediatrics, otology, and other consultations, preoperative orthopedics
Around 3 months Unilateral cleft lip repair surgery
Around 6 months Bilateral cleft lip repair surgery
9~12 months Undergo cleft palate repair surgery (conventional surgery method)
1~4 years Repair 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.
3~4 years Voice training.
Around 5 years old Palatoplasty if there is incomplete palatopharyngeal closure
5~7 years Post-operative cleft lip deformity revision,.
6~9 years old If there is receding maxillary deformity, correction of receding maxillary deformity by trans-suture traction technique
7~11 years old If there is alveolar cleft, bone graft repair surgery for alveolar cleft
11~13 years old Orthodontic treatment to align teeth
13~18 years old If you have nasal deformity, you will have nasal deformity surgery
After 16 years old If you have jaw deformity, you will have orthognathic surgery or bone cutting and traction surgery.
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.