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Background: Early and late operations of the cleft lip represent exposure to general anesthesia during the first year of life. The early exposure to the anesthetics may influence long term neurological outcome. Timing of the operation may also influence the quality of life as babies with early repair might be accepted better by their families., Aims: The aim of the study was to compare outcomes between two groups of patients operated on for the cleft lip in the first year of life., Study Design: Observational cohort study., Subjects: Early repair group included patients operated on in the first eight days of life and late repair group those operated on between 3 and 10 months., Outcome Measures: Intelligence quotient (IQ) and psychosocial development of children who were operated on for cleft lip were compared at the age of 3-7 years., Results: No differences were found between early (n=15) and late (n=17) repair group in terms of IQ. In both IQ was within the normal range: 100.00 (SD 13.867), 98.76 (SD 10.109), respectively. Significantly better results in physical functioning (P=0.042) and self-esteem (P=0.014) concepts in early repair group were found., Conclusions: We compared outcomes of two groups of patients operated on for cleft lip in the first year of life. The earlier anesthesia did not show a negative impact on intelligence quotient in 3-7 years compared to later anesthesia. The earlier repair of the cleft lip showed a significant positive impact on psychosocial development in 2 out of 13 concepts tested., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The authors present a case report of a patient with anophthalmia in whom retroauriculo-temporal flap (Washio flap) was used for reconstruction of eyelids. This flap, which is mostly used for reconstructions of nasal defects, was not used in this way according to available literature.

Objective: The oronasal cavity in humans develops during embryonic day 30-60. There are three critical periods when this process can be affected, resulting in a specific type of orofacial cleft: cleft lip (CL), cleft palate (CP), or most serious, total cleft lip+palate (CLP). We assessed whether gestational bleeding during early pregnancy might act to produce a non-specific worsening of embryo status resulting in extension of the basic cleft type (CL or CP) into more serious CLP., Study Design: In a group of the child patients with orofacial clefts, the cleft spectrum was correlated with first trimester gestational bleeding reported by the mother. Data were also related to the gender of patients, hereditary factors and additional malformations., Results: Among 2524 mothers who gave birth to babies with an orofacial cleft in the Czech Republic during 1983-2009, 253 (10.0%) had gestational bleeding. Among the children with an orofacial cleft, 497 (19.7%) had an orofacial cleft among relatives and 297 (11.8%) exhibited an additional congenital malformation. In comparison with mothers without bleeding, there was significant increase of children with CLP (p < 0.01) at the expense of children with CP, whose number significantly decreased (p < 0.01) in the bleeding mothers. In the group of children with clefts among relatives we did not find any significant change associated with bleeding. The maternal bleeding was more frequent in children with additional malformations, but this difference was not significant (p = 0.112)., Conclusion: We hypothesize that size/extent and therefore seriousness of orofacial cleft might increase as a consequence of hypoxia resulting from gestational bleeding.

Background Information: Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells can participate in the formation of a microenvironment stimulating the aggressive behaviour of cancer cells. Moreover, cells exhibiting pluripotent ESC (embryonic stem cell) markers (Nanog and Oct4) have been observed in many tumours. Here, we investigate the role of cancer-associated fibroblasts in the formation of stem cell supporting properties of tumour stroma. We test the influence of fibroblasts isolated from basal cell carcinoma on mouse 3T3 fibroblasts, focusing on the expression of stem cell markers and plasticity in vitro by means of microarrays, qRT-PCR (quantitative real-time PCR) and immunohistochemistry., Results: We demonstrate the biological activity of the cancer stromal fibroblasts by influencing the 3T3 fibroblasts to express markers such as Oct4, Nanog and Sox2 and to show differentiation potential similar to mesenchymal stem cells. The role of growth factors such as IGF2 (insulin-like growth factor 2), FGF7 (fibroblast growth factor 7), LEP (leptin), NGF (nerve growth factor) and TGFβ (transforming growth factor β), produced by the stromal fibroblasts, is established to participate in their bioactivity. Uninduced 3T3 do not express the stem cell markers and show minimal differentiation potential., Conclusions: Our observations indicate the pro-stem cell activity of cancer-associated fibroblasts and underline the role of epithelial-mesenchymal interaction in tumour biology.

Background: The reconstruction of the nose is one of the most complicated aesthetic-reconstructive procedures. The difficulty of the procedure lies is in the necessity for reconstruction not only to capture the very complicated, various shapes of the nose but also to preserve the function of the nose: to allow the patient to breathe through the nose., Materials and Methods: 12-year-old girl had loss injury of the part of left wing of the nostril. We used the compound nasolabial flap with a small excess to resolve the mucosal and skin defect. One year after the first operation relief of natural transition of the new wing of the nostril and cheek was created with small island flap., Results and Conclusions: The reconstruction of a wing of the nostril in multistage procedures with combined nasolabial flap and island flap allowed us to perform precise modelation of the nostril wing with the natural transition to the cheek. An island flap with its scars creates the required contour of a nostril wing and prevents the collapse and flattening of the nostril wing externally.

The authors present an interesting case of a suckling baby treated for forearm tumour. All the preoperative examinations including the imaging methods are documented, as are the surgical procedures and the final results. The case report is interesting not only because such surgery is infrequent but also due to the unpredictable progress of the final diagnosis statement. Before surgery the tumour was diagnosed as an organising haematoma; based on clinical and radiological signs the diagnosis subsequently rose to rapidly growing haemangioma or vascular malformation causing arm paresis and vascular supply disorder. The diagnosis was changed to angiolipoma during surgery. The final histopathological statement was: infantile fibrosarcoma. Despite the virtue of imaging methods and meticulous clinical examination, the surgical and histopathological findings are not necessarily absolutely identical. Having presented this particular case the authors would like to share their experience.

Malignant vulvar tumors must be treated by radical removal of the tumor as well as a sufficient amount of surrounding healthy tissue. The resulting defects can be resolved by skin transplants, local transfers, skin flaps, muscle flaps or free tissue transfers. We describe the case history of a patient who underwent radical vulvectomy for a malignant tumor with immediate reconstruction by local flaps from the area of inner thighs and mons pubis. The advantages and disadvantages of this method are compared to other reconstructive surgery methods.

Objective: The goal of this work is to compare therapeutic results of two groups of patients with an infected fracture or chronic osteomyelitis of the lower leg and ankle joint treated by the method of radical debridement followed by free flap transfer or muscle transposition., Patients: In the period between 1 January 2002 and 30 September 2007 the authors used this method in the treatment of 52 patients (10 females and 42 males) with the average age of 44 years (ages ranged from 10 to 67). The observed group of patients was divided into retrospective and prospective subgroups., Methods: The difference between the retrospective and prospective parts of the study was how radical the debridement and necrectomy of the soft tissues was. A comparison of therapeutic results in both subgroups was made by evaluation of the amounts of postoperative complications, number of follow-up surgeries and the actual weight-bearing ability of the treated extremity., Results: The difference in the number of postsurgical complications (7 versus 2) was not significant (p=0.123), and neither was the difference in the number of follow-up surgeries (20 versus 17, p=0.706). The difference in the number of patients with fully weightbearing extremities (21 versus 22) was also not significant (p=0.670)., Conclusion: The authors feel that analysis of complications showed somewhat better results in the prospective part of the study, despite the lack of statistical proof. Therefore the authors regard the method of extensive debridement with the following coverage of the soft tissue defect by muscle flap as suitable for the treatment of infected fractures in the area of the lower leg and ankle joint and the treatment of osteomyelitis of the tibia.

The author presents experience with the treatment of chronic bronchopleural fistula in a patient who suffered a gunshot injury to his right chest. During the primary assessment the patient underwent resection of two lobes of the right lung, and the patient healed without complications. Four years later the patient presented with bronchopleural fistula with empyema. We had to proceed with right sided pneumonectomy and close up the fistula. The fistula recurred, and the patient underwent repeated operations by chest surgeons without success. Finally, the situation was solved by a contralateral latissimus dorsi muscle free flap. The free-flap was wrapped around the bronchial stump, and the muscle also filled the chest cavity. We discuss the post-surgical course and present the final result.

Gradual particularization of medicine, as witnessed during the second half of the 20th century, resulted in a detailed development of individual subspecializations. Association of therapeutic options resulting from enormous development of these subspecialization brought a new dimension to the treatment of formerly unmanageable conditions. The closest cooperation between a plastic surgeon and a traumatologist is required in the management of patients with serious extremitiy injuries. The conditions include, in particular, amputations of extremities without skeletal and soft tissue devastation, where replantation may be considered, and extensive soft tissue and skeletal injuries, requiring replacement of the missing soft tissue cover following the treatment of the skeletal parts. A new aspect of the cooperation includes common care for infected long bone fractures and osteomyelitides, where primary and extensive skeletal and soft tissue debridement is followed by covering the defect with a muscular or a musculocutaneous flap, facilitating reperfusion and infection management.

The authors present a case study of a patient with ischemic subtotal hand amputation in the palm. They describe an option to primarily reconstruct the arcus palmaris superficialis and common digital arteries by using a venous graft from the vena saphena magna with its several branches.

Purpose of the Study: The aim of the study was to evaluate the results of treatment in patients with infected fractures or chronic osteomyelitis in the tibial and ankle regions by radical debridement of skeletal and soft tissues and coverage of the defect, using free flap transfer or muscle flap transposition., Material: Between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2004, 26 patients were treated by this method; 13 had infected tibial or ankle fractures and 13 showed osteomyelitis of the tibia. All patients, in the case of failure, would have been indicated for below-knee amputation. The group comprised six women and 20 men at an average age of 46 years (range, 10 to 67 years)., Methods: In this retrospective study, the following data were recorded: type of injury (multiple trauma, combined trauma, single trauma), fracture type according to the AO classification, grade of injury in open fractures by the Gustillo and Anderson classification, number of previous operations in patients with infected fractures, microbiological findings in all patients before defect coverage with a flap, interval between the injury and flap coverage, number of post-operative complications, number of subsequent operations, period of relief for the treated limb, actual weight-bearing of the limb, patient's satisfaction with the therapy., Results: Since one patient died of heart attack during follow-up, 25 patients (5 women and 20 men) were included in the final evaluation. The average follow-up was 27 months (range, 15 to 49 months). The healing of infection and union of bone were recorded in 21 patients (84 %). Healing with pseudoarthrosis development occurred in three patients (12 %). One patient (4 %) had to undergo leg amputation due to persistent secretion. The duration of treatment before coverage of the defect was on average 10 weeks (range, 4 weeks to 6 months) in the patients with infected fractures, and 9 years (range, 2 to 20 years) in the patients with osteomyelitis. Post-operative complications were recorded in seven patients (27 %). Impaired vascularization of the flap in the early post-operative period was found in two patients (8 %). In two patients (8 %) residual infected tissue under the flap resulted in purulent secretion. In three patients (12 %), at the time of evaluation, the lower extremity could not bear weight due to non-union of fractured bone., Discussion: The use of free or transposition muscle is regarded as the optimal method for the treatment of extensive defects of soft tissues in limb traumatology. The advantages include: good quality coverage of the defect; ability of vascularized flap tissue to transport antibiotic to the defect area; long-term improved perfusion in the fracture region is important for fracture healing., Conclusions: The treatment of infected tibial and malleolar fractures by debridement and subsequent coverage of soft tissue defects, using muscle flap transfer, permits elimination of infection in most of the patients, but often requires subsequent surgery in order to provide biological stimulation for healing of defective fractures. Treatment of osteomyelitis of the tibia by this method is demanding, but has a good prospect of healing in a period shorter than is necessary for treatment without muscle flap transfer.

The article summarizes the results of early primary lip repair in 44 newborns with cleft lip and palate. We present a study of the first 44 patients to undergo the surgery before the age of 1 week as performed by a surgeon who used a modified method according to Tennison with a nasal correction. Early lip surgeries started in 2005. Cleft patients are under the care of a multidisciplinary team. Preliminary results are very encouraging; we observed excellent esthetic results concerning lip scars and the appearance of the nose. We did not notice any impact on the maxillary development due to the short time interval. We consider early lip surgery with nasal correction the best method, and we would like to continue with it, monitoring its impact on the maxillary and nasal development.

The arterial system of fingers is anatomically well described, and so, usually no difficulties arise during its preparation and the making of anastomoses in replantation surgery. Difficulties may occur, however, during manipulation in the dorsal vascular bed of fingers, known only as a random venous network. There are minimal references to its existence and the location of its valvular apparatus. Using a microscopic preparation, a contrast staining, and a histological assessment, topographic relations and the course of veins of the dorsal venous network, as well as the existence and location of their valvular apparatus, was investigated on 72 three-phalanx fingers. The specimens were either harvested from fresh cadavers or traumatically amputated. We found that veins of rather significant caliber predominantly run along the dorsal aspect of the finger on both the radial and ulnar sides above the proximal phalanx of three-phalanx fingers. Proximally, venous systems of respective neighboring fingers connect in the interdigital space. The valvular apparatus was found at all levels ranging from metacarpophalangeal joints to the distal phalanx. The valves were always located distally from the confluence of two veins. Aside from this confluence, the existence of valves was not observed. The exact description of architecture of this venous system, in practice, contributes to faster orientation, better preparation, and the creation of safer anastomoses of these structures, and thus, to an increased success of replantation.

Skin flap survival is dependent on an adequate blood supply and on the resistance to ischemia. Experimentally we tested the effect of pharmacological preconditioning on the survival of skin flaps. The survival of an ischemic skin flap (McFarlane flap) was tested using the local application of cobalt gel in three groups of Wistar rats. The mean flap necrosis of the control group was 59.15%. The rats treated by the cobalt gel once a week showed mean necrosis in 39.09%; the rats receiving the application of the cobalt gel three times a week in 26.33%. The treated groups presented with significantly lower flap necrosis in comparison to the untreated controls. There was a significant difference in the flap necrosis occurrence according to the application frequency of the cobalt gel. The expression of the genes involved in angiogenetic processes encoding vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and glycolytic enzymes was influenced in a non-mitochondrial way in this study. The results show that non-mitochondrial preconditioning could prolong the survival of an ischemic flap.

The authors describe modified thumb replantation technique. With this technique it is possible to avoid extensive mobilization of the digital arteries as well as incisions, particularly at the distal thumb phalanx, and therefore reduce further damage of the amputated part. Prior to the osteosynthesis a venous graft is harvested from the distal forearm or from the thenar area. Anastomosis between the venous graft and radial digital artery on the amputated part of the thumb is completed. Osteosynthesis of the bones with Kirchner wires follows. The venous graft is further anastomosed to the dorsal venous system of the stump. The arterial system is reconstructed with an anastomosis of the ulnar digital artery with a superficially positioned volar vein of the amputated part. The replantation technique described has proved effective in all cases when it was used.

The authors present a case report of reconstruction after a degloving injury to hand by a combination of microsurgery and standard pedicle flaps. Degloving injury high on the hand was solved by free sensitive fasciocutaneous flap transfer from the radial forearm (Chinese flap), which covered the defect in the palm, while finger defects were covered by pedicle flaps from the abdomen. Dorsum of the hand was treated with a mesh skin graft. The authors also describe techniques of treatment and the relevant results prior to the time of microsurgery and compare them to the possibilities offered by microsurgery today, and they include comprehensive illustrations.

Replantation surgery is a specialization in plastic surgery which, in comparison with other disciplines, has a relatively short history of only forty years. Replantation surgery developed due to experience with macrovascular anastomosis and to the evolution of the operative microscope, special micro-instruments and ultra delicate suturing material. Due to these advances, it is possible to implement anastomosis of blood vessels with a diameter smaller than 1-2 mm. Each of the three pillars of microvascular surgery has its own history. This work outlines their use and the contribution of each to the development of microsurgery. Finally, it compares the development of replantation surgery in the Czech Republic and worldwide within a specific time frame.

The removal of certain facial-bone defects is a prerequisite to restoration of function, stability, and appearance. Synthetic bone substitutes are beneficial in cases where other operative techniques would be an unacceptable burden for a patient. Satisfactory results can be achieved in one surgical intervention with low costs and low demand on technical equipment. Osteoconductive, biocompatible, non-resorbable glass-ceramic implants based on oxyfluoroapatite and wollastonite permit osteointegration--a direct physical and chemical bond between live bone tissue and the implant without formation of a fibrous capsule. They display better stress durability in simulated body fluid than hydroxyapatite implants do. This material was used for facial skeletal framework, contour restoration in 44 cases under conditions where other solutions were doubtful. Patients were observed for 24.8 months. Immediate healing occurred without any adverse reaction. The main problem was extrusion, observed in 20.45% cases over a 2-3 month period after the implantation. All cases, with one exception, were solved with a satisfactory final result by reoperation, implant size reduction, and increased soft tissue cover. This approach was found to be a suitable technique, especially for patients exhausted by prior incompetent treatment but still dissatisfied with their appearance. Successful reconstruction with a bone substitute may remarkably increase quality of life for affected persons and, at the same time, reduce surgery-related time and costs.

The authors present the case of a 17-year-old patient with amputation of the distal portions of three-phalangeal fingers. During replantation of each finger a different method of revascularization of the amputate was used. In one finger the classical replantation pattern was used: anastomosis of the digital artery and dorsal vein. Inthe second finger anastomosis of the digital artery and volar vein was made, while in the third finger a method of nontraditional revascularization was used, i.e. by using an arteriovenous shunt: transposition of the second digital artery with adequate back-flow to the dorsum and anastomosis with the dorsal vein.

This comparative prospective study elucidates whether breast reconstruction that is not associated with systemic oncological treatment may trigger a tumour relapse, and if there is any difference between the evaluated reconstruction methods, a simple procedure using an implant versus a TRAM flap, on this hypothetical influence. The study group of 95 patients suffered from stage I-II of breast carcinoma. As regards the available reconstruction procedures, the study group was divided into two subgroups, the first using an implant (n1 = 33) and the second using a TRAM flap (n2 = 62). All oncological problems manifesting during the subsequent 12 months were considered as a response to the reconstruction. The oncological course was compared with two control groups. The first control group (k1 = 82) corresponded to the study group in terms of tumour stage (I-II), average age, time of initial diagnosis, type of primary surgery, i.e. mastectomy with axilla exenteration, and subsequent oncological treatment. The second control group (k2 = 19,625) was based on the National Oncology Register data. It was formed from all patients with breast carcinoma stage I-II from 1985-1994. The disease development in terms of the relative number of relapses and deaths was compared to the number of healthy and living patients, respectively, in the preceding year. The working hypothesis of late breast reconstruction (i.e. not associated with oncological treatment) being a possible trigger effect on the subsequent course of breast cancer has not been confirmed. No statistically significant differences at the 5% significance level were found between individual reconstruction methods and control groups in terms of the number of local relapses and survival length.

Over the course of ten years, 119 breast reconstruction procedures using a free TRAM flap transfer were performed in our department. In the present review, the authors explain the indication pattern for breast reconstruction. The age of patients undergoing breast reconstruction is given, as well as a description of the time interval between mastectomy and breast reconstruction, which recipient vessels were used, the general and local complications and the complications relating to the anastomosis. The review of the group of patients is supplemented by information on the time interval between breast reconstruction and reconstruction of the nipple areolar complex as well as summarized data on the results of breast reconstruction that were achieved using a free TRAM flap transfer.

Breast aplasia and hypoplasia are found most frequently in Poland's syndrome but may also be the consequence of damage to the germ of the mammary gland in childhood. The authors present two cases of breast aplasia in which reconstruction was implemented by free transfer of a TRAM flap. The internal mammary vessels were used as recipient vessels, the condition of which was tested before surgery by Doppler. In both instances the reconstruction was implemented at the age of 19 years, and subsequently the areolomammillary complex was created and the contralateral breast corrected to achieve symmetry. The use of autologous tissue in the form of a free TRAM flap provides, in this indication, very good results that are permanent, and the problems associated with the use of implants are eliminated.

Schwannomas (neurilemmomas) are common tumors originating in the sheaths of peripheral nerves. The tumor may have the appearance of a reddish-brown or pale papule that is painful or itching. The surface is usually smooth but may be ulcerated or verrucous. Malignant reversal is rare. The authors present the case of a twenty-year-old patient with a malignant schwannoma of the plantar portion of the heel. They describe the surgical approach, the results of histopathological examination and subsequent follow-up.

The authors present the case of a 53-year-old patient with spinocarcinoma of the thoracic part of the oesophagus. The thoracic part of the oesophagus was resected, and the resulting defect was dealt with in several stages with regard to complications. First, the stomach was interposed; subsequently, an attempt was made at reconstruction using the colon and a loop of the small intestine. All these attempts at reconstruction failed, and the resulting condition was oesophagostomy and nutritive jejunstomy. In light of the patient's general condition, past surgical operations and the size of the defect, a stage-wise extra-anatomical reconstruction using tubed flaps was made.

Between 1983 and 1997 a total of 2029 children with CL/P (cleft lip, cleft lip and palate or cleft palate), who were born in the Bohemian districts of the Czech Republic and who underwent surgery and treatment at the Clinic of Plastic Surgery in Prague, were analysed. One possibility for decreasing the risk of delivery of a child with CL/P is to decrease or eliminate its prenatal exposure to embryotoxic factors. Detection of the embryotoxic factors acting at the individual level (e.g. elevated temperature, drug consumption, x-ray examination or infection) is easier than the detection of embryotoxic factors operating at the population level (e.g. water contamination, air pollution). When searching for the latter factors, we first have to reveal regional differences in CL/P incidence. The aim of the present paper was to determine significant differences in the mean incidence of newborns with CL/P in Bohemian districts during a 15 year period. The correlation between the incidence of CL/P and the birth rate in the different districts was also examined. The mean incidence of CL/P in all Bohemian districts was 1.86 per 1000 newborns (1.86/1000). Districts were divided into three groups, according to significant differences in the incidence of CL/P using a confidence interval. The lowest mean incidence of CL/P was detected in the Svitavy district (0.72/1000) and Louny (1.05/1000). The highest mean incidence was found in the Beroun district (2.86/1000). Besides Beroun, a high mean incidence of CL/P (more than 1.96/1000) was also found in Klatovy, Mĕlník, Tábor, Kolín, Semily, Ceská Lípa, Pardubice, Teplice, Ceský Krumlov, Sokolov, Chomutov, Praha-západ, Jicín, Rakovník, Kladno, Prachatice, Rokycany, Tachov, Liberec, Pelhrimov. Paradoxically, the districts with a higher or lower birth rate exhibited a lower (1.62/1000) or higher (1.92/1000) incidence of CL/P, respectively. Future studies should elucidate whether the significant regional differences in the incidence of CL/P can be related to differing exposure of pregnant women to harmful environmental embryotoxic factors.

During the period from 1994-1999, 226 patients were treated, incl. 91 replantations and 135 revascularizations. The group included 199 men and 27 women. The success rate of microsurgical reconstruction operations in replantations was 78%, in revascularizations 93%. As compared with the period 1984-1993, the success rate in replantations improved by 4%, while the indication pattern was preserved.

Between 1987 and 1995, 25 patients with chronic osteomyelitis of the lower extremity were treated by transfer of muscle or musculocutaneous flap. The subsequent follow-up extended over more than three years. Five patients developed a recurrence. Two were reoperated on and healed completely; in two an amputation had to be performed; and in one the infection persists. Recurrence occurred mainly in patients in whom the bone cavity could not be filled completely with muscle.

Plastic and reconstructive surgery is frequently mistaken for aesthetic and cosmetic surgery. At present, plastic surgery is a very broad discipline in which aesthetic surgery is an integral part. The majority of reconstructive operations, in particular on the body surface, include an aesthetic component. Their purpose is not only the restoration of function but also the achievement of optimal aesthetic results. The authors demonstrate examples on the vague borderline between functional and aesthetic reconstruction and present their views on the medical indication for these operations.

The authors submit a successful case of penile replantation. They discuss the course of the procedure and document the immediate and long-term result of this procedure.

The preceding study (Smahel, 1987) showed that after the abolishment of osteoplasty and introduction of primary reposition of nasal septum base in the 1970's the nasal deviation and asymmetry of nasal wing length in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate had been reduced. The present study shows that this reduction continues after the introduction of total septum reposition. The deviation of septal base (columella) from the median plane and asymmetry in nostril position is reduced as well. The surgeon's experience however is the decisive factor determining the final shape of the nose.

The authors describe the sequence of the reconstructions within the region of face and neck. They provide a short assessment of the advantages and drawbacks of individual procedures and underline the need for an individual approach in each patient on the basis of a close co-operation of the whole teams of specialists.

The authors report a series of 41 patients subjected to a transfer of the sensitive fasciocutaneous flap to a defect or to instable skin scars on the leg. Described are immediate as well as longterm surgical results in relation to the sensitivity of the transferred flap and the condition of the donnor site of the flap.

Systematic registration of all children with orofacial clefts in Bohemia (Czech Republic) started at the Clinic of Plastic Surgery, Prague in 1964. A sample of 181 affected children with positive family histories (i.e. one of the parents had some type of orofacial cleft) was selected for the present study. The aim of this study was to follow the relation not only between the type of cleft in the child and in its parent, but also between the sex of the child and of the affected parent. Among children of mothers with cleft lip 68% were boys and only 32% were girls with cleft lip or cleft lip and palate. If the mother had cleft lip and palate, the same cleft type was found in 64% of boys and only 15% of girls. If the mother had cleft palate, the same cleft type was found in 37% of boys and 51% of girls. Very similar results were found for affected fathers and their children, with only one exception: among children of fathers with cleft lip and palate, the percentage of boys and girls with CLP was 43% and 40%, respectively. We can conclude that the cleft type in a child depends not only upon the cleft type present in the mother or father, but also upon the sex of the child. There was higher risk to have the orofacial cleft in sons of mothers with CL or CLP or fathers with CL and daughters of mothers or fathers with CP. The combination of the preconception choice of the sex of the baby with the ultrasonography method for the prenatal screening of malformations could decrease the risk delivering a child with an orofacial cleft in families with a genetic predisposition.