Plastic Surgical Conditions in Infancy and Childhood

Abstract

A number of operations, if mastered, will produce excellent results in repair of cleft lip. The optimal age is between the first and second months of life.

Correction of cleft palate is highly specialized and technically difficult. A good age for repair is between 14 and 18 months.

Protruding ears can be corrected before the child enters school.

Surgical separation of syndactylous fingers may be postponed until the age of four or five years unless normal growth and development are prevented or the thumb is involved.

A transplant operation using the gracilis muscle has been successful in many cases of rectal incontinence and has also been used to correct urinary incontinence. Five to six years seems to be the best age for the operation.