Standardized Method for Description of Cleft Lip and Palate Phenotypes and Its Implementation in Daily Practice

Cleft lip and palate are the most common congenital craniofacial anomalies. The etiology of this condition is unclear. The overall incidence of cleft lip and palate is 1/700. Prenatal diagnosis of cleft lip by 3D ultrasound is possible in more than 70% of cases, while it is less effective for cleft palate. There are several classifications of cleft lip and palate that were proposed over the years, however, only few have found clinical application, with none of them generally accepted as most effective and understandable. Allori et al. presented classification of a cleft lip and palate which is comprehensive and uniform, and it can precisely define the vast majority of the clefts, thus enabling easier communication between the health workers during their everyday practice. In this paper, we compared the accuracy of preoperative diagnoses compared to intraoperative diagnoses according to Kernahan and Stark classification from 1958, and these diagnoses were converted according to the Allori et al. classification of cleft lip and palate. Classification of cleft lip and palate presented by Allori et al. is clear, easy to understand, and it can be successful tool in studying the epidemiology of clefts.