A Surgical Complexity Factor for Clefts of Primary and Secondary Palates

Abstract

The surgical treatment of patients with cleft lip and palate depends on the characteristics of the affected anatomical structures (palate, lip and nose). The objective of this work was to develop a quantified classification for these clefts, to represent their surgical complexity. This work was developed with the team of surgeons of the SUMA Cleft Leadership Center (CLC) Smile Train Mexico. The method of Multiple-Criteria Decision Analysis was applied using the Analytic Hierarchy Approach. A surgical complexity factor associated with each cleft was defined and it was validated in a sample of fifty patients treated at the SUMA-CLC.Clinical Relevance- A quantitative classification that represents the surgical complexity of clefts provides an objective unified criteria for planning the surgical treatment of patients, as well as having standardized procedures for the surgical treatment of patients.