TESSIER CLEFT NO. 7: REPORT OF 12 CASES

Tessier cleft 7, also known as Transverse facial cleft or congenital macrostomia, is a rare congenital anomaly. It presents with varying degree of severity and is associated with anomalies of other structures developing from first and second branchial arches. We report twelve cases of Tessier cleft 7 presenting to us at various ages. The cases were studied on the basis of antenatal and family history, age, sex, laterality, severity and other associated anomalies. The clefts were classified complete or incomplete on the basis of their lateral extension. Surgical correction of the clefts consisted of soft tissue repair and correction of associated deformities with satisfactory functional and aesthetic results, without any intra-operative and post-operative complications.