In Lviv, a successful surgery was performed on a one-and-a-half-year-old girl from Rivne region who had an unhealed cleft palate.

At the Lviv "Okhmatdyt" hospital, a successful operation was performed on 1.5-year-old Polina from the Rivne region, who has two rare syndromes – Pallister-Killian and Setre-Chotzen. Due to an unhealed palate, the girl was unable to eat properly, so the surgical intervention has improved her quality of life. This was reported on November 12 by the Interregional Center for the Treatment of Children with Cleft Lip and Palate.

According to medical professionals, the parents learned about the girl's condition only after her birth. The Pallister-Killian syndrome leads to defects in various organs and systems (brain, heart, gastrointestinal tract, skin, etc.), causing hydrocephalus, intellectual disabilities, and developmental delays due to low muscle tone. This is a spontaneous mutation, meaning it is not linked to genetics. There are only 102 children worldwide with this condition. Meanwhile, the Setre-Chotzen syndrome results in premature fusion of the skull bones (craniosynostosis), which impedes normal skull growth and alters the shape of the head and face. There are no medications for either syndrome; the only options available today involve surgical correction of defects and medical management of associated issues.

Little Polina faced difficulties with feeding due to her unhealed palate. She was unable to eat, experienced vomiting, and had breathing pauses during sleep. Her oxygen levels dropped to 75%, while the normal range is between 95% and 100%.

“Correcting the maxillofacial defect under such conditions is very risky. The ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) risk scale rates it 4 out of 6. No one in Ukraine wanted to take on Polina’s case. Our surgeons also declined twice because they didn’t believe the surgery would help. However, we were deeply moved by the parents’ desire to improve their daughter’s quality of life and decided to undertake this highly complex operation, which could have ended fatally. We managed to correct the soft palate cleft. We achieved a maximum positive result, as the girl can now eat and swallow normally, and food no longer enters her airways,” the medical facility noted.

The team of doctors at "Okhmatdyt" adds that they are preparing to perform another surgery on the child in the future to address her ear problem.