Congenital malformations of the face

This is basically repetition from embryology, yay…

Closure disorders – cleft lip and cleft palate

When the palate fails to close during the embryonic life, and this leads to either cleft lip, cleft palate or both.

These kinds of disorders can result in e.g. feeding problems and speech problems and are operated on while the patient is around 3-12 months old. A palatal obturator is usually used from the birth before surgery, and looks like braces, just for the bone instead of the teeth.

Thyroglossal cyst

When the thyroglossal duct from embryonic life persists, a fibrous cyst forms usually on the neck as an irregular neck mass or lump. The cyst develops from left over tissue from the formation of the thyroid gland during development in the uterus.

Recall from embryology that the cysts can occur anywhere of the path of the thyroglossal duct, from the tongue to the suprasternal notch.