Millard's rotation advancement technique for unilateral cleft lip repair

Abstract

The unilateral cleft lip deformity includes defects of the lip and also the associated deformities in the nose. The Millard's rotation advancement technique is a versatile one for the repair of these deformities. The principle of the technique is that the raised Cupid's bow point medial to the cleft is brought down level with its noncleft side counterpart by a rotation incision, which extends to the base of the columella and ends with a back cut. The resulting defect beneath the base of the columella is filled with an advancement flap from the cleft side. The advantages of the techniques are many. The most significant one is that it adheres to the basic principles of esthetic surgery, with the main scars being along the relaxed skin tension lines. It is a versatile technique producing optimal results in all types in unilateral cleft lip patients ranging from the microform to the widest of complete clefts. The incision in this technique is so placed that there is easy access to address the associated defects of the nose. Technical refinements have been added to the classical description of the procedure to address the deficiencies in the repair. We describe important refinements introduced at our center by Dr. H. S. Adenwalla. Universally, this technique is still the most popular.