J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg.  2019 Dec;45(6):374-376. 10.5125/jkaoms.2019.45.6.374.

Importance of various skin sutures in cheiloplasty of cleft lip

• Kim SM

• KMID: 2467191
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5125/jkaoms.2019.45.6.374

Abstract

Last week, after our receiving online journal regarding Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, we found a recently published original article by Alawode et al., entitled "A comparative study of immediate wound healing complications following cleft lip repair using either absorbable or non-absorbable skin sutures". Although this clinical article was well written and provided a great deal of information regarding the suture materials in the cleft lip repair, I would like to add a few additional comments based on the importance of skin suture during cheiloplasties in the primary cleft lip or secondary revision patients with representative figures.

Keyword

Cheiloplasty; Cleft lip; Skin suture material; Orbicularis oris muscle

MeSH Terms

Cleft Lip*
Humans
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Skin*
Sutures*
Wound Healing

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Cheiloplasty procedures showing the inner anchoring suture with non-resorbable suture materials for the muscular reorientations (A), skin flap approximation state with only muscular and subcutaneous suture (B), and muscular repositioning status in another cleft lip patient (C).

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  Fig. 2 Commonly used suture techniques during cheiloplasty in the upper lip according to each anatomical skin landmark showing simple interupted or running suture on the vermilion border (A, B), vertical mattress everted suture on the philtrum (C), and tip switch suture on the cupid bow (D).

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  Fig. 3 Different cleft lip defect size and stich numbers between cleft lip baby (A, B) and unoperated cleft lip adult (C, D).

Reference

1. Alawode AO, Adeyemi MO, James O, Ogunlewe MO, Butali A, Adeyemo WL. A comparative study of immediate wound healing complications following cleft lip repair using either absorbable or non-absorbable skin sutures. J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2018; 44:159–166.

2. Adesina OA, Efunkoya AA, Omeje KU, Idon PI. Postoperative complications from primary repair of cleft lip and palate in a semiurban Nigerian teaching hospital. Niger Med J. 2016; 57:155–159.

3. Shinohara H, Matsuo K, Kikuchi N. Absorbable and nonabsorbable buried sutures for primary cleft lip repair. Ann Plast Surg. 1996; 36:44–46.

4. Datarkar AN, Rewanwar D, Rai A. Comperative analysis of unilateral cleft lip closure using absorbable and nonabsorbable sutures: a randomised clinical study. Plast Aesthet Res. 2014; 1:54–57.

5. Gabrielli F, Potenza C, Puddu P, Sera F, Masini C, Abeni D. Suture materials and other factors associated with tissue reactivity, infection, and wound dehiscence among plastic surgery outpatients. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2001; 107:38–45.

6. Adetayo AM, James O, Adeyemo WL, Ogunlewe MO, Butali A. Unilateral cleft lip repair: a comparison of treatment outcome with two surgical techniques using quantitative (anthropometry) assessment. J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2018; 44:3–11.