口腔颌面外科专家陈亦阳：唇腭裂没那么可怕，规范治疗后可与常人无异

Core Viewpoint - The recent controversy surrounding Beijing Yanran Angel Children's Hospital highlights the survival challenges faced by charitable hospitals and brings attention to the often-overlooked group of patients with cleft lip and palate, who frequently encounter social stigma [1] Group 1: Medical Understanding of Cleft Lip and Palate - Cleft lip and palate is not a single disease; it includes cases of isolated cleft lip, isolated cleft palate, or both, collectively referred to as "cleft lip and palate" [2] - The overall incidence of cleft lip, cleft palate, and combined cleft lip and palate is approximately 0.2%, making it one of the more common birth defects [2] - The core treatment concept for cleft lip and palate is "sequential treatment," which involves a comprehensive treatment plan from prenatal diagnosis through various developmental stages [2][3] Group 2: Treatment Efficacy and Challenges - At Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, over 2,000 cleft lip and palate surgeries are performed annually, with over 95% of patients not requiring further surgery post-operation [3] - The treatment process is generally not continuous but involves periodic assessments and interventions based on the child's growth and development [3][5] - The complete sequential treatment often requires collaboration among seven to eight different medical specialties, posing challenges for implementation in grassroots healthcare settings [5] Group 3: Economic and Social Implications - Despite the maturity of treatment techniques and manageable costs, many children still struggle to access public healthcare systems, particularly in underdeveloped regions [6] - Various charitable surgical programs play a crucial role in supplementing the conventional medical system, especially for children in impoverished or remote areas [6][7] - The financial burden of surgeries is relatively low for urban families, with out-of-pocket expenses for a single surgery amounting to several thousand yuan, and surgeries are spaced out over several years [6] Group 4: Prevention and Public Awareness - Prenatal screening can identify cleft lip after 20 weeks of pregnancy, while cleft palate detection is more uncertain and depends on the fetus's position [8] - The most effective preventive measure recognized is the early supplementation of folic acid during pregnancy, which can significantly reduce the incidence of cleft lip and palate [9] - There is a need for societal recognition that cleft lip and palate patients should be treated as normal individuals, emphasizing the importance of normalcy in their lives post-treatment [10][11]