Abstract
Both deviations of the nasal cartilage and premaxilla in infants with the cleft lip and palate have been thought to be factors affecting nasal deformity.
The purpose of this paper is to clarify the relationship between nasal deformity and deviation of the maxilla in 50 infants with complete unilateral cleft lips and palates, before cheiloplasty.
The rotation of the premaxilla causes not only nasal tip and columella deviation b ut also the alar base which deviates the normal side.
The width of the alveolar cleft caused by bone defect, maldevelopment of the small segment, and rotation of the premaxilla correlates with nasal deformity.
Dorsoventral deviation of the nasal alar bas e correlates with the difference of the position between large and small segments, especially due to the poor-developed small segment.
The length difference of the nostril floor on both sides, which causes the sever e nasal deformity, correlates with the width of the alveolar cleft and rotation of premaxilla.
