Current concepts in cleft care: A multicenter analysis.
Oliver C Thiele, Matthias Kreppel, Anton Dunsche, Andre M Eckardt, Michael Ehrenfeld, Bernd Fleiner, Volker Gaßling, Gerd Gehrke, Marcus Gerressen, Martin Gosau, Alexander Gröbe, Stefan Haßfeld, Max Heiland, Bodo Hoffmeister, Frank Hölzle, Cornelius Klein, Maximilian Krüger, Alexander C Kübler, Norbert R Kübler, Johannes J Kuttenberger, Constantin Landes, Günter Lauer, Markus Martini, Erich T Merholz, Robert A Mischkowski, Bilal Al-Nawas, Emeka Nkenke, Jörn U Piesold, Winnie Pradel, Michael Rasse, Martin Rachwalski, Rudolf H Reich, Daniel Rothamel, Jan Rustemeyer, Martin Scheer, Henning Schliephake, Rainer Schmelzeisen, Alexander Schramm, Wiebke Schupp, Wolfgang J Spitzer, Erwin Stocker, Christian Stoll, Hendrik Terheyden, Alexander Voigt, Wilfried Wagner, Dieter Weingart, Richard Werkmeister, Jörg Wiltfang, Christoph M Ziegler, Joachim E Zöller
Author Information
Oliver C Thiele: Department of Oral, Maxillofacial and Facial Plastic Surgery, Ludwigshafen Hospital, (Head: Prof. R. A. Mischkowski, MD, DDS), Germany. Electronic address: thieleo@klilu.de.
Matthias Kreppel: Department of Craniomaxillofacial and Plastic Surgery, University of Cologne, (Head: Prof. J.E. Zöller, MD, DDS), Germany.
Anton Dunsche: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, City Hospital Karlsruhe, (Head: Prof. A. Dunsche, MD, DDS), Germany.
Andre M Eckardt: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Bremerhaven Hospital, (Head: Prof. A. Eckardt, MD, DDS, MBA), Germany.
Michael Ehrenfeld: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, (Head: Prof. M. Ehrenfeld, MD, DDS), Germany.
Bernd Fleiner: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Im Pferseepark, (Head: B. Fleiner & E. Stocker, MD, DDS, MSc), Augsburg, Germany.
Volker Gaßling: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, (Head: Prof. J. Wiltfang, MD, DDS), Germany.
Gerd Gehrke: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Henrietten Foundation Hospital, (Head: Prof. G. Gehrke, MD, DDS), Hannover, Germany.
Marcus Gerressen: Department of Oral, Maxillofacial and Plastic Facial Surgery, Heinrich-Braun Hospital Zwickau, (Head: PD M. Gerressen, MD, DDS), Germany.
Martin Gosau: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nuremberg Hospital, (Head: Prof. M. Gosau, MD, DDS), Germany.
Alexander Gröbe: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, (Head: Prof. M. Heiland, MD, DDS), Germany.
Stefan Haßfeld: Department of Craniomaxillofacial Surgery-Plastic Surgery, University Witten/Herdecke, Hospital Dortmund, (Head: Prof. S. Haßfeld, MD, DDS), Germany.
Max Heiland: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, (Head: Prof. M. Heiland, MD, DDS), Germany.
Bodo Hoffmeister: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Charité University Medicine, (Head: Prof. B. Hoffmeister, MD, DDS), Berlin, Germany.
Frank Hölzle: Department of Oral, Maxillofacial and Plastic Facial Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, (Head: Prof. F. Hölzle, MD, DDS), Germany.
Cornelius Klein: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Donauisar Hospital Deggendorf, (Head: Prof. C. Klein, MD, DDS), Germany.
Maximilian Krüger: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Mainz, (Head: Prof. W. Wagner, MD, DDS), Germany.
Alexander C Kübler: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, University of Würzburg, (Head: Prof. A.C. Kübler, MD, DDS), Germany.
Norbert R Kübler: Department of Cranio- and Maxillofacial Surgery, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, (Head: Prof. N.R. Kübler, MD, DDS), Germany.
Johannes J Kuttenberger: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Luzerner Kantonsspital, (Head: PD J. J. Kuttenberger, MD, DDS), Switzerland.
Constantin Landes: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sana Hospital Offenbach, (Head: Prof. C. Landes, MD, DDS), Germany.
Günter Lauer: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine "Carl Gustav Carus", Technische Universität Dresden, (Head: Prof. G. Lauer, MD, DDS), Germany.
Markus Martini: Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, University of Bonn, (Head: Prof. R. Reich, MD, DDS), Germany.
Erich T Merholz: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, St. Lukas Hospital, (Head: E.T. Merholz, MD, DDS), Solingen, Germany.
Robert A Mischkowski: Department of Oral, Maxillofacial and Facial Plastic Surgery, Ludwigshafen Hospital, (Head: Prof. R. A. Mischkowski, MD, DDS), Germany.
Bilal Al-Nawas: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Mainz, (Head: Prof. W. Wagner, MD, DDS), Germany.
Emeka Nkenke: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, (Head: Prof. E. Nkenke, MD, DDS, MA), Austria.
Jörn U Piesold: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Helios Hospital Erfurt, (Head: PD J.U. Piesold, MD, DDS), Germany.
Winnie Pradel: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine "Carl Gustav Carus", Technische Universität Dresden, (Head: Prof. G. Lauer, MD, DDS), Germany.
Michael Rasse: Department for Cranio-, Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Medical University Innsbruck, (Head: Prof. M. Rasse, MD, DDS), Austria.
Martin Rachwalski: Department of Craniomaxillofacial and Plastic Surgery, University of Cologne, (Head: Prof. J.E. Zöller, MD, DDS), Germany; National Reference Center for Cleft and Craniofacial Malformations, Department of Maxillofacial and Plastic Surgery, Hopital Universitaire Necker - Enfants Malades, (Head: Prof. E. Arnaud, MD), Paris, France.
Rudolf H Reich: Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, University of Bonn, (Head: Prof. R. Reich, MD, DDS), Germany.
Daniel Rothamel: Department of Craniomaxillofacial and Plastic Surgery, University of Cologne, (Head: Prof. J.E. Zöller, MD, DDS), Germany.
Jan Rustemeyer: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Klinikum Bremen-Mitte, School of Medicine, University of Göttingen, (Head: Prof. J. Rustemeyer, MD, DDS), Bremen, Germany.
Martin Scheer: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hospital Minden, (Head: PD M. Scheer, MD, DDS), Germany.
Henning Schliephake: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, George-Augusta-University, (Head: Prof. H. Schliephake, MD, DDS), Göttingen, Germany.
Rainer Schmelzeisen: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Freiburg, (Head: Prof. R. Schmelzeisen, MD, DDS), Freiburg, Germany.
Alexander Schramm: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Facial Plastic Surgery, Military Hospital of Ulm and University Hospital Ulm, (Head: Prof. A. Schramm, MD, DDS), Germany.
Wiebke Schupp: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Freiburg, (Head: Prof. R. Schmelzeisen, MD, DDS), Freiburg, Germany.
Wolfgang J Spitzer: Department for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Clinic of Saarland, (Head: Prof. W. Spitzer, MD, DDS), Homburg/Saar, Germany.
Erwin Stocker: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Im Pferseepark, (Head: B. Fleiner & E. Stocker, MD, DDS, MSc), Augsburg, Germany.
Christian Stoll: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ruppiner Kliniken, (Head: Prof. C. Stoll, MD, DDS), Neuruppin, Germany.
Hendrik Terheyden: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Red Cross Hospital, (Head: Prof. H. Terheyden, MD, DDS), Kassel, Germany.
Alexander Voigt: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Charité University Medicine, (Head: Prof. B. Hoffmeister, MD, DDS), Berlin, Germany.
Wilfried Wagner: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Mainz, (Head: Prof. W. Wagner, MD, DDS), Germany.
Dieter Weingart: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Katharinen Hospital, (Head: Prof. D. Weingart, MD, DDS), Stuttgart, Germany.
Richard Werkmeister: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Central German Armed Forces Hospital, (Head: Prof. R. Werkmeister, MD, DDS), Koblenz, Germany.
Jörg Wiltfang: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, (Head: Prof. J. Wiltfang, MD, DDS), Germany.
Christoph M Ziegler: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, St Olavs University Hospital, Norwegian University for Science and Technology, (Head: Prof. C. Ziegler, MD, DDS), Trondheim, Norway.
Joachim E Zöller: Department of Craniomaxillofacial and Plastic Surgery, University of Cologne, (Head: Prof. J.E. Zöller, MD, DDS), Germany.
The current surgical techniques used in cleft repair are well established, but different centers use different approaches. To determine the best treatment for patients, a multi-center comparative study is required. In this study, we surveyed all craniofacial departments registered with the German Society of Maxillofacial Surgery to determine which cleft repair techniques are currently in use. Our findings revealed much variation in cleft repair between different centers. Although most centers did use a two-stage approach, the operative techniques and timing of lip and palate closure were different in every center. This shows that a retrospective comparative analysis of patient outcome between the participating centers is not possible and illustrates the need for prospective comparative studies to establish the optimal technique for reconstructive cleft surgery.
