The less invasive treatment reduces office visits for families and makes it easier for babies to feed
Children’s Minnesota is the first health system in Minnesota to offer a state-of-the-art treatment for babies born with cleft lip. The treatment is designed to ease the burden of care on families and provide a gentler experience for babies during the period before cleft lip repair. It’s available through the cleft and craniofacial service within the ear, nose, throat and facial plastic surgery program at Children’s Minnesota.
Innovative treatment for cleft lip
Traditional presurgical methods for cleft lip have presented challenges for both babies and their families. For example, the conventional nasoalveolar molding (NAM) involves an acrylic mold that sits in the baby’s mouth and is secured in place using tape to their face. It can make feeding the baby difficult and requires frequent specialty clinic visits to get the mold changed, which can be tough on families who live far away.
The new treatment, called PLANA (presurgical lip, alveolus, and nose approximation), is designed to help align the displaced lip, gum line and nose of babies born with a cleft lip. The treatment combines two components.
- LipAlign™: a medical adhesive tape placed on the upper cheeks to bring the cleft lip’s edges closer together.
- NoseAlign®: an aligner made of silicone that is placed in nostrils of a baby to gently shape the displaced nose.
There are no pieces sitting in the baby’s mouth. The less invasive approach allows babies with a cleft lip to feed and it’s gentler overall. It’s designed to be managed at home, reducing the need for frequent clinic appointments and making it more convenient for families.
“We’ve cared for patients born with cleft lip from as far away as Montana, the Dakotas and Upper Michigan. Asking those families to travel from that far away for weekly appointments for NAM molding is not possible,” said Noelle Morrell, speech pathologist in the ENT program at Children’s Minnesota. “This new treatment is a simple yet significant advancement in cleft lip care. After the initial appointment and training with our team, much of the treatment could be managed at home.”
When treatment can begin
The cleft lip specialists at Children’s Minnesota can provide expert support whether a baby is diagnosed with a cleft lip prenatally or at birth. They will partner with families and referring providers to help determine if a baby born with a cleft lip would benefit from presurgical treatment. For babies that would benefit, presurgical treatment can begin within the first few weeks of the baby’s life.
“Our goal as a team is to develop a strong, collaborative relationship with our patient’s primary care providers. We’re going to be working together for years to come to care for these patients. Therefore, we want to have open communication and partner with families and their providers to give the patient the best possible care,” described Brianne Roby, MD, director of the cleft program at Children’s Minnesota.
Babies use the PLANA treatment until their first surgery to repair the cleft lip, which typically happens at 3-4 months of age.
About Children’s Minnesota's ENT program
Children’s Minnesota’s (ENT) and facial plastic surgery program provides a full range of ENT and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery services, including prenatal counseling, advanced imaging, cochlear implants, and innovative surgeries for cleft and craniofacial issues. To refer a patient, please contact Children’s Minnesota Physician Access at 866-755-2121.
