Severe bilateral Tessier 3 clefts in a Uighur girl: The significance and surgical repair

The Tessier 3 cleft is one of the rarest congenital craniofacial clefts, which often extends through the upper lip, the alar groove and the medial canthus. Only a few cases have been reported. There is no standardized method for the surgical treatment for this condition in the literature, and to obtain an acceptable outcome is difficult. A Uighur girl with severe bilateral Tessier 3 clefts and associated orofacial deformities is described here, and a novel protocol for clefts of this severity and rarity is presented. This study focuses particularly on describing the surgical procedures and techniques. Further treatments required for the cleft-associated deformities during later growth and developmental stages are also discussed in detail.