A New Technique Using Modified Dehaan's Method for Median Cleft Lip Closure: A Case Report.

[OBJECTIVE] Median cleft lip is an extremely rare congenital abnormality that can be classified into "true" (characterized by true tissue separation) and "false" (caused by holoprosencephaly). We report a patient with true median cleft lip who underwent cheiloplasty using the surgical procedure for bilateral cleft lip.

[METHODS] The subject was a girl, who presented with mild orbital hypertelorism. Alveolar cleft with midline cleft lip extending slightly to the white lip, and anterior basal meningocele was observed. The patient was in good general condition and had undergone cheiloplasty using modified DeHaan's method at 5 months of age.

[RESULTS] In many reports to date, surgical procedures for median cleft lip could not avoid leaving a scar on the midline; however, in the present case, we were able to achieve a clear Cupid's bow with an unremarkable scar consistent with the philtral columns. Furthermore, a nostril sill had formed in the flat base of the nasal cavity. The morphology of the opened nostril base also improved.

[CONCLUSION] This procedure is only indicated for patients with mild cleft. However, better esthetic surgical outcomes are generally requested for milder original deformations. This surgical procedure was effective in esthetically improving the median cleft lip.