• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.55-62
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• 2007

Radical paring of the cleft edge during primary cleft lip operation or repeated secondary surgeries can result in tightness of the upper lip. In case, the degree of the resulting side-to-side tension is very severe, the possibility of a lip switch flap must be considered. When the lip tightness accompanies a loss of more than two-thirds of the Cupid's bow, an Abbe flap is an alternative. The disadvantages of Abbe flap are scar formation on the lower lip, design of incision line on the upper lip, disharmony of colors, and the dysfunction of the orbicularis muscle. These problems have been recognized in the literature and extreme discretion has been advised in its application. We experienced four cases of Abbe flap operation which were designed differently to correct the secondary unilateral or bilateral cleft-lip nasal deformities. The Abbe flap operations resulted in removal of the scars and tightness of the upper lip, reconstruction of the Cupid's bow, lengthening of the columella, and therefore secondary cleft-lip nasal deformity could be corrected. It is thought that carefully applied Abbe flap is an appropriate method to relieve horizontal tightness or flattening of the upper lip which occured after primary operation of cleft lip.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.66-70
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• 2005

Cupid's bow, upper lip, columella, and ala of nose are esthetically important, in which their symmetrical plasties determine success or failure of the surgery in cleft lip and palate patients. Z-palsty and its modifications are simple and effective. The double Z-plasty is economical in surgical time and esthetics in reconstructing the cupid's bow compared with other methods. We report a 29-year-old male patient who represented reversed cupid's bow and whistle deformity after the primary repair of the cleft lip. He was corrected the cupid's bow using a double Z-plasty. The reversed cupid's bow was corrected to a normal shape and the whistle deformity disappeared. The tightness of the upper lip was relieved after the operation. The double Z-plasty was esthetically successful because the procedure was limited in the vermilion and did not produce a new scar on the skin. Furthermore, the lip tubercle became protuberant. The cupid's bow was symmetrically smoothly curved at 4 years after the operation. These results indicate that the double Z-plasty is simple, less traumatic to the surrounding tissues, and suitable for the correction of whistle deformity.