Craniofacial Clinic: A Program as Unique as Your Child

Craniofacial Care in Central Massachusetts and Beyond

Learning that your child has a craniofacial difference, like cleft lip or cleft palate, can be overwhelming. At UMass Memorial Medical Center – Children’s Medical Center, we bring together all the specialists your child may need. Our Craniofacial Clinic is home to national experts in craniofacial care.

Our program maintains accreditation from the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association (ACPA), recognizing our commitment to the highest standards of care.

Team Approach to Cleft Lip, Cleft Palate and Other Craniofacial Differences

The most effective care for craniofacial differences includes coordinated team care from multiple specialists. At the Children’s Medical Center, our surgeons, doctors, pediatric specialists and dedicated program coordinator collaborate in our Craniofacial Clinic to develop a comprehensive plan of care. Our goal is to streamline your visit to the hospital, ensuring the most thorough, world-class care for your child.

Your child receives coordinated services from experts in:

• Pediatric plastic and craniofacial surgery
• Ear, nose and throat (ENT) and hearing loss (otolaryngology)
• Genetics
• Neurosurgery
• Audiology
• Speech-language therapy
• Dentistry
• Orthodontics
• Feeding

Craniofacial Differences We Treat

Craniofacial differences may involve bones, muscles and other soft tissue of the face and skull. They can affect many aspects of your child's life, including appearance and ability to eat, breathe, hear or talk.

The Children’s Medical Center Craniofacial Team’s expertise ranges from the rarest craniofacial conditions to more common pediatric conditions that need plastic surgery. These include:

• Cleft lip and palate
• Craniosynostosis
• Ear differences, like microtia, an underdeveloped outer ear
• Facial clefts, openings in the nose, eyes or cheeks
• Hemifacial microsomia (HFM)
• Misalignment of the jaw or eye sockets
• Changes to the eye sockets, jaw or skull due to severe injury
• Vascular malformations and hemangiomas
• Apert syndrome
• Crouzon syndrome
• Muenke syndrome
• Pierre Robin syndrome
• Pfeiffer syndrome
• Saethre-Chotzen syndrome (SCS)
• Treacher-Collins syndrome (TCS)

Cleft Lip, Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Services

Our team builds a thoughtfully coordinated plan tailored to your child’s needs. Your child sees different specialists throughout treatment based on their diagnosis, treatment response and development. Here’s what care may look like:

Prenatal Consultation

We meet some patients before they’re even born. If a craniofacial difference shows up during a prenatal ultrasound, you may meet with our experts before giving birth. We discuss the diagnosis, answer your questions and plan the next steps of care.

Evaluation

We start by getting to know your child’s needs. Sometimes, this takes place shortly after birth. Other times, it’s later in infancy or childhood. In every case, we begin with a team evaluation of your child. We look at how they are feeding, breathing, hearing and developing.

These efforts may also include additional testing to help us learn more. The Children’s Medical Center offers every test your child may need, including specialized exams like nasal endoscopy, to evaluate the patient’s nose and breathing.

Cleft Lip, Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Surgery

Surgeons gently reshape or reposition bones and soft tissue. We use highly technical scans and 3D printing technology to plan these procedures with precision.

Surgeons at the Children’s Medical Center perform the reconstructive surgeries your child may need, including: 

• Cleft lip repair
• Cleft palate repair
• Craniofacial distraction, a facial bone-lengthening technique
• Craniosynostosis repair, which creates more room in the skull for young brains to grow
• Mandibular distraction, a procedure that gradually lengthens the lower jaw
• Orthognathic surgery

Supportive Treatments

At the Children’s Medical Center Craniofacial Clinic, treatment doesn’t end with surgery. Additional services optimize your child’s quality of life.

Supportive treatment may include: 

• Speech therapy optimizes your child's ability to speak and swallow
• Dental care addresses tooth and gum issues related to craniofacial differences
• Orthodontics ensures proper jaw alignment
• Emotional support helps strengthen your child's confidence and self-esteem.
   

Meet Jack. Born with a cleft lip and palate, Jack underwent multiple surgeries to repair his differences and is now a happy, playful toddler. Hear what his mom has to say about the care he received at the Craniofacial Clinic at the Children’s Medical Center.