Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List
| | A | | | B | | | C | | | D | | | E | | | F | | | G | | | H | | | I | | | J | | | K | | | L | | | M | |
| | N | | | O | | | P | | | Q | | | R | | | S | | | T | | | U | | | V | | | W | | | X | | | Y | |
Diagnosis of Cleft lip and palate
Cleft lip is sometimes recognised during the routine ultrasound scans carried out during pregnancy. If it is not detected in this way, it is noticed when the baby is born.
Where cleft palate occurs by itself, it is not possible to detect it before birth.
Once a diagnosis has been made, arrangements should be made for you and your baby to see someone (usually a nurse or doctor) with special responsibility for cleft lip and palate.
Because there are a number of complications associated with cleft lip / palate, some large hospitals have a special ‘cleft team’ made up of experts in a number of fields. Typically this will include surgeons, nurses, speech and language therapists, dental and orthodontics specialists, psychologists and paediatricians.









