Lakeland Regional Health (LRH) and Nemours Children’s Health are working together to provide specialized pediatric plastic surgery services in Lakeland, focusing on cleft and craniofacial differences.
With a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach, the team offers early diagnosis, surgical treatment, and coordinated care to support children and families.
Understanding cleft lip and palate
- Around 7,000 babies are born each year in the U.S. with a cleft lip or palate — that’s 1 in every 600 babies.
- Cleft lips can often be diagnosed in utero, allowing families to meet with providers for prenatal consultation. These visits help reassure parents and prepare them, including learning how to feed a baby with a cleft.
- Surgeries to repair a cleft lip or palate usually occur within the first 12 months of life.
- Early diagnosis is essential for feeding and weight gain, hearing and language development, and surgical planning.
Coordinated, specialized care
Children with clefts and other craniofacial differences benefit from the expertise of an interdisciplinary team. This includes:
- Plastic surgeons
- Ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists
- Audiologists
- Speech pathologists
- Dentists and orthodontists
This coordinated care ensures that every aspect of a child’s health and development is addressed.
Complex cranial conditions
For children with craniosynostosis — a condition where the skull bones fuse too early — LRH and Nemours work closely with neurosurgery. Treatments may include releasing fused areas and expanding the skull bones to protect the eyes and brain.
- Early diagnosis is critical to qualify for minimally invasive procedures, such as removing a fused strip of bone, followed by post-operative helmet therapy.
- These minimally invasive surgeries are most effective when performed within the first two to three months of life.
Through their partnership, LRH and Nemours are helping families in Lakeland access advanced pediatric plastic surgery services close to home.
True or False
All craniofacial conditions are visible at birth.
