Hydrogel May Offer Breakthrough Treatment for Severe Cleft Palate

Hydrogel May Offer Breakthrough Treatment for Severe Cleft Palate

Preliminary results from tests conducted on a hydrogel material indicate treatment for severe cleft palates could be carried out without the need for complex surgery.

Cleft palates are currently repaired by surgically repositioning the available palatal mucosa, the tissue structure at the roof of the mouth, in order to cover the gap in the palate. However, if the cleft defect is too wide there may be insufficient local tissue available to close the gap without undertaking quite radical surgery. It is these severe cases that can cause future complications for infants as they develop into adults, particularly in regards to speech and facial growth problems.

A team of researchers at the University of Oxford, England, the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxfordshire, and the Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States have examined hydrogel on the molecular level in an attempt to gather enough information to develop materials that could be used for a new treatment.

According to the United Kingdom-based Science and Technologies Facilities Council, the new treatment for these severe cases involves inserting a small plate made of an anisotropic hydrogel material, similar to that used in contact lenses, under the mucosa of the roof of the mouth of the patient.

The hydrogel gradually expands as fluid is absorbed, encouraging skin growth over and around the plate, a process known as “tissue expansion.” Researchers say that when sufficient skin has been generated to repair the palatal cleft, the plate is removed and the cleft is repaired using this additional tissue.

Successful preliminary results from tests with self-inflating anisotropic hydrogel tissue expanders open the door for clinical trials in this area to begin early in 2011.

“Babies born with cleft palates usually have problems feeding, and may have speech difficulties later in life, as well as issues with hearing, dentition and facial growth,” says Marc Swan, a plastic surgeon at John Radcliffe Hospital, instigator of the study. “The severest cases often have the least favorable outcomes and, unfortunately, these are the most challenging children to treat surgically.” This new treatment may represent a promising development in treatment planning for patients with cleft palates.