Boosting confidence for children with cleft lip and palate

Dr. Nguyen Hong Nhung examines a child patient.

On July 7, E Hospital continued to coordinate with Operation Smile to organize a program of free examination, treatment and surgery for patients with cleft lip, palate and many other deformities. This is the 10th time this meaningful program has been organized at E Hospital.

At the age of 12, NTT has undergone 5 surgeries: 4 congenital heart surgeries (including 3 open surgeries and 1 vascular intervention) and 1 cleft lip-palate surgery. After traveling 300km, his mother took him to E Hospital for a screening this morning. "The family is poor, the father is seriously ill, and the economy has declined after many surgical interventions for my child. I just hope to have the opportunity to give my child free surgery this time," T.'s mother confided.

After consulting and screening for cardiovascular problems, Dr. Nguyen Hong Nhung, Department of Dentistry, E Hospital; lecturer of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery - University of Medicine and Pharmacy - Vietnam National University, Hanoi and other doctors decided to perform alveolar bone graft surgery for T. Dr. Nhung said that this is an important intervention to prepare for the orthodontic process and help the child restore chewing function in the future.

Baby H.D.A, only 3 months old, from Ha Tinh is one of the youngest patients in this examination. During pregnancy, the mother used antidepressants, which unfortunately affected the fetus. Born with a left cleft lip and palate, the baby had many difficulties in breastfeeding, making the family's journey of raising the child even more difficult.

After being examined and screened by doctors, the baby was assigned to have surgery to reconstruct the left lip, which initially helped to clearly improve the facial structure and opened up hope for the next treatment steps, so that the baby could grow up with a complete body and a bright smile like other children.

LHL, 9 years old, from Ninh Binh (formerly Ha Nam) has a large pigmented tumor that occupies the entire left half of his face, causing his eyelids to droop significantly, his left eye is dimmer than his right, directly affecting his vision and facial aesthetics.

E Hospital will create the best conditions for children to participate in surgery in the program.

Examining the child, Dr. Nguyen Hong Nhung stated that with baby L's condition, to complete her face, it is necessary to determine that this is a long journey for both the child and the family.

"The patient is still young and his physical condition is not suitable for a large-scale plastic surgery with many risks of anesthesia, resuscitation and post-operative complications. In addition, early plastic surgery in young children also carries the risk of uneven development between the two sides of the face when they reach puberty, which can lead to a clear facial asymmetry and affect long-term aesthetics," said Dr. Nhung.

Therefore, in the immediate future, the doctor will prescribe surgical intervention to remove part of the tumor, prioritizing the treatment of the area around the eyes, where there are signs of progressive ptosis and conjunctivitis, directly affecting vision function.

This intervention is initial, ensuring both improved visual function and reduced psychological complexes for the child. When the child reaches adulthood (about 13 years old and up), the doctors will re-evaluate and plan a full facial reconstruction surgery, using plastic techniques such as skin flap grafting to restore both function and aesthetics for the child.

These are just 3 of the many special cases that have been examined, consulted and operated on for free during this screening period.

Dr. Nguyen Cong Huu, Director of E Hospital, said that the subjects examined and consulted this time include children of many ages, as long as they meet the health requirements: Children from 6 months old with cleft lip (minimum 6kg), from 12 months old with cleft palate (minimum 8kg), cases of congenital cleft lip and palate sequelae of all ages (lip scars, palatal holes, nasal deformities, dental arch clefts)...

E Hospital will create the best conditions for children participating in surgery in the program: Children will be exempted from all surgery costs, post-operative care, especially, free accommodation and partial support for food costs during treatment at E Hospital.

THIEN LAM

Source: https://nhandan.vn/tiep-them-su-tu-tin-cho-tre-di-tat-khe-ho-moi-vom-mieng-post892229.html