Classification

The current classifications are based on anatomical features of the nose in patients with cleft lip and palate; however, these descriptions are not sufficient for diagnosis and treatment purposes. Veau, Spina, and Kernahan are good examples of these conventional classifications; they classified the cleft lip and palate based on the affected anatomical segment. In addition, conventional diagrams (such as those of Kernahan and Veau) in a similar form only describe the affected anatomical segment but not how severely it is affected. The clock diagram, a novel system developed by the author of this chapter, better illustrates the nature of the cleft deformity and its degree of severity. Based on this classification of severity, four basic components are used to describe the cleft deformity: the nose, lip, primary palate, and secondary palate. This chapter presents a description of the cleft lip nose severity classification.