Do you know about Cleft Lip?

Cleft lip and Cleft palate

Cleft lip and cleft palate are splits in upper lip. These results when facial structure does not develop properly. This is a very common birth defect. It mostly occur due to some genetic conditions or any syndrome.

Symptoms

·        A split in upper lip of the mouth which affects the face.

·        A split in lip which the lip extends lip through upper gum and palate into bottom of nose.

·        Feeding problems.

·        Speaking with nasal.

·        Ear infection.

Causes

These occur when the tissues in baby's face and mouth does not fuse properly. Generally, tissues that make lip and palate fuse in second and third months of pregnancy.  The cleft lip and cleft palate are caused by genetic and environmental factor.

Risk factors

There are various factors due to which cleft lip and cleft palate may develop:

·         Genes: Parents having any family history of cleft lip or palates have higher risks.

·         Exposure of some substances when pregnant: Smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol during pregnancy may develop cleft lip.

·          Diabetes:  If the woman is diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy, there is a risk of cleft lip.  

Surgery

The surgery is used to correct the cleft lip and palate depending on the condition. There is a sequence of surgery which are performed according to the age of child-

·         Cleft lip repair - for 3 to 6 months of age.

·         Cleft palate repair - for age of 12 months

·         Follow-up surgeries - between age 2 years and late teen years.

The procedures includes:

·         Cleft lip repair: For closing the lips, the surgeon will make cuts on both sides of  cleft and make a flap of tissue. The flaps are then stitched with the lip muscles. After the repair, the appearance of lip becomes normal and function properly. If nasal repair is needed, it is also done at same time.

·         Cleft palate repair: There are number of procedures which are used to separate and reconstruct the upper part of mouth , depending on the child's condition. The surgeon will make the cut on both side of cleft and will re-position the tissues and muscles. After that it is stitched.

·         Ear tube surgery: For children suffering with cleft lip, ear tubes are placed to avoid the risk of hearing loss. The ear tube surgery is used to place a small bobbin shaped tube in eardrum, so that it creates an opening to prevent fluid buildup.

Cost

To know the cleft lip surgery cost in Bangalore, click the link to get exact cost.

What you know about Bow Legs?

Bow legs

It is a condition in which the legs curve outwards at an angle when the child's feet is together. The child is born with bowlegs due to their folded position in womb, so the condition is normal in infants.

Causes:

If the bow legs do not gets straight when the child starts walking, that may cause more problems such as-

·       Rickets- bone growth problem caused due to lack of vitamin D or calcium.

·        Blount's disease- bone growth disorder in shinbone.

·        Fracture that do not heal properly.

·        Bone do not develop normally.

Symptoms:

·        If bow legs continue for after 3 years of age.

·        Bowing is symmetrical.

·        Knees which do not touch when standing with feet and ankles together.

Treatment

The bowing should improve as the child grows.  There are some braces or special shoes which are tried to treat the condition. If this does not help then surgery is recommended.

Complications

If the bowlegs does not go away and is not treated will lead to arthritis in the knees or hips over time.

What you know about Blount's Disease?

Blount disease

Blountdisease is a very rare disorder affecting children, causing legs to bow outwards below the knees. It is also called as tibia vara. Small amount of bowing is natural in infants. As most children begin walking at an early age which is between 1 and 2 years, their legs get straight gradually. But at times it may need correction. It affects children younger than 4 years of age.

Symptoms

·A growing pain in the knee area.

·The tibia can rotate the feet inward instead of outward.

·If the disease not treated, can lead to arthritis.

Causes

·Overweight.

·Genetic.

Physical Therapy

The physical therapy helps in all stages. The braces are used to treat the children who are younger than 30 months or are in the beginning stage of disease. The brace which is prescribed by the physician is known as HKAFO (hip-knee-ankle-foot orthosis), or KAFO (knee-ankle-foot orthosis). The braces must be worn for upto 2 years to see the changes in shape of the shin bone. If there is no improvement till 1 year of wearing it , then surgery is recommended.

Surgery

If the blount disease has advanced and, brace treatment is not working , then surgery may be necessary. When you are in hospital for the surgery, a physical therapist will teach the child how to use walker or crutches and how to put right amount of weight on floor, to avoid the injury to the surgical repair of leg.

The therapist will teach you and your child some basic exercises to keep the leg healthy, regain the strength and joint movement. After discharge, most of the patients visit the therapist twice or thrice a week for better results.