Question

Repair of cleft lip is usually carried out

• A. At birth
• B. At 10 weeks of life
• C. During 1.5 to 2 years of age
• D. Before the child starts going to school

Hint:

Recall the rule of tens used to time cleft lip surgery.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

This question checks the standard timing rule surgeons follow before they repair a cleft lip.

1. At birth: A newborn is not stable enough for anesthesia or surgery this early, so lip repair is not done at birth.
2. At 10 weeks of life: This fits the rule of tens, age about 10 weeks, weight about 10 pounds, hemoglobin about 10 g/dl, the point where the infant is considered fit for surgery.
3. During 1.5 to 2 years of age: This window is closer to when cleft palate repair is done, not the lip.
4. Before the child starts going to school: Waiting this long puts off fixing the feeding and cosmetic problems and is not standard practice.

The correct choice is repair at about 10 weeks of life, once the infant meets the rule of tens.

Let's summarize:

• The rule of tens sets the safe window for cleft lip surgery: age 10 weeks, weight 10 pounds, hemoglobin 10 g/dl.
• Cleft palate repair comes later, around 9 to 18 months, before the child starts to speak.

So cleft lip repair is usually carried out at 10 weeks of life.