Background: Unlike developed countries where adult primary cleft lip and palate\ncases are barely nonexistent, developing countries still have a backlog of adults with\nunrepaired cleft lip and palate. Method: A retrospective review of adult/adolescent\ncleft lip repair under local anesthesia was performed between 2012 and 2015. Results:\nFifty six (56) adolescent and adults were seen comprising 35 females and 21\nmales. Forty two patients presented with unrepaired unilateral cleft lip of which only\n6 were complete; 4 were unrepaired bilateral cleft lip and 10 were revisions. The lowest\nage was 13 years (two patients) and the highest age was 66 years (one patient).\nThe mean weight was 54 kg. The mean anaesthetic time including waiting time was\n12.94 minutes and mean operation time was 56.52 minutes. Majority of the patients\nwere discharged same day except for five who needed to stay overnight because of\ndistance from their home. There were no reported early postoperative complications\nand wound healing was uneventful for all the patients. Conclusion: Cleft lip repair in\nadults under local anesthesia is safe, effective and less expensive. A modification in\ntechnique with minimal dissection and efficiency is essential in such cases.
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