SURGERY

Having a child with a cleft can be a difficult obstacle for parents to navigate. That’s why Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic is committed to providing the best therapy, procedures, and care possible for your family. 

Since the 1970s, LCPC and Penn State Hershey Medical Center have enjoyed a partnership. Three surgeons from Penn State Hershey Medical Center donate not only their talent, but their time, to visit LCPC during Team Days and meet with patients.

LCPC deals with many different diagnoses, in addition to clefts. If your child has Crouzon Syndrome and Apert Syndrome, Treacher Collins Syndrome, Pierre Robin Sequence/Complex, Velopharyngeal Insufficiency, 22Q, Hemifacial Microsomia, Ectodermal Dysplasia, Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, or some other craniofacial anomaly, LCPC and Penn State Hershey Medical Center can help.

According to one surgeon, Dr. Tom Samson, available surgeries are cleft lip repair, palate repair, and bone graft at the gum line. The surgeries are performed at Penn State Hershey, but LCPC provides all pre- and post-surgery meetings and consultations. Additionally, LCPC coordinates the planning of the surgeries, and the post-operative care for patients.

Cleft lip repair is outpatient and usually performed when a child is three to four months old. Stitches are dissolvable and pain is minimal, with Tylenol typically being sufficient to control pain.

Palate repair surgery is normally performed on children around the age of one. Kids are kept overnight in order to ensure proper breathing, but pain is usually not intolerable and there are in-clinic follow-ups to ensure that healing is progressing.

Bone graft surgery is typically performed on children aged six to nine when adult teeth are beginning to come in. It is an outpatient surgery and after six months, an x-ray is done in order to ensure healing.
 

“Our goal is to make patients whole again. That’s our mission for all our kids, regardless if they can pay the bill or not. It’s only the support of the people throughout the state that helps us continue to provide the level of excellent care for our patients.” –Dr. Tom Samson

One of the most invaluable services that LCPC offers is therapy for patients. After surgery, LCPC will ensure that patients receive the necessary therapy and follow-up care that they need. LCPC is committed to providing their patients with healing and hope for the future.