An interventional study of 3D obturator in Cleft Lip and Palate, sponsored by Brno University Hospital. Recruiting at 1 site in Czechia. Open to participants aged Up to 2 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-11-17.
Sponsored by Brno University Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
Congenital malformations of the orofacial area are the most common congenital malformations in children with an incidence of 1.8 children with orofacial cleft per 1000 healthy births in the Czech Republic. The care of children with cleft facial defects is multidisciplinary, centralized and takes place from birth to adulthood. At the University Hospital Brno, the treatment for patients with orofacial cleft is provided by the Cleft Center (CC) of the University Hospital Brno. The main specialties that form the basis of CC include plastic surgery, pediatric anesthesiology and neonatology. Patients with facial cleft defects are divided into 2 main groups based on the embryological causes of clefts: 1/ patients with cleft lip, jaw with or without cleft palate (total cleft) and 2/ patients with isolated cleft soft and hard palate. Anesthesia in children with orofacial clefts is specific not only to the age of the patients, but mainly to the cleft itself. Anesthesiology management, and especially intubation of these patients, are often difficult due to the nature of the defect with high incidence of complications such as difficult airway, desaturation, laryngospasm or bradycardia. In addition, tissue damage including soft tissue of the lip, alveolar arch, palate and nasal septum as well as skeleton of the premaxilla and nasal septum during intubation is seen in approximately 90% of patients. To facilitate intubation, improve anesthesiology management and safety of pediatric patients with orofacial cleft, we will develop an individualized protective tray from a silicone material, that will be used during intubation to cover the defect of the alveolar arch and palate. A mold for casting of a protective tray, will be created on a 3D printer on bases of 3D scan. Use of the protective tray would facilitate intubation, decrease anesthesiologic complications and protect soft and hard tissues of the cleft palate and upper jaw during intubation.
After approval by the Ethics Committee of the Brno University Hospital and registration at clinicaltrials.gov, the study will include patients meeting inclusive criteria for whom primary surgery for a cleft facial defect will be indicated.
Patients will be divided into two groups based on the type of surgery. Group 1 will include patients with unilateral or bilateral cleft lip and alveolus (U/BCLA) or unilateral or bilateral cleft lip, alveolus and palate (total cleft; U/BCLAP) who underwent primary lip reconstruction within 0-3 months of age. Group 2 will include patients with isolated cleft palate (ICP) and patients with U/BCLAP who underwent primary cleft reconstruction between 6 and 18 months of age.
Patients in the pediatric plastic surgery clinic of the Department of Pediatric Surgery, Orthopedics and Traumatology will be randomized with a 1:1 allocation based on the day of operation to the intervention group (3D protective obturator) and the control group (standard procedure without the 3D obturator). Patients enrolled in the intervention group will have an intraoral scan of the palate, alveolar arch, and upper vestibular area before surgery. Based on this 3D visualization of precise anatomical conditions in the oral cavity, a form (negative unique impression of the upper jaw and palato-alveolar conditions) for casting of a protective obturator (splint), used during intubation to cover the defect of the alveolar arch and palate will be created on a 3D printer, in cooperation with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (Department of Mechanics of Bodies, Mechatronics and Biomechanics) of Brno University of Technology. For the production of the obturator, a silicone certified for use in the oral cavity will be used.
The main objective of the research will be to find out how the use of a protective obturator (splint) will improve the protection of tissues at the cleft site and whether intubation will be facilitated in pediatric patients with orofacial clefts with congenital atypical anatomical conditions in the oral cavity.
Exclusion Criteria:
Patients enrolled in the intervention group will have an intraoral scan of the palate, alveolar arch, and upper vestibular area before surgery. Based on this 3D visualization of precise anatomical conditions in the oral cavity, a form (negative unique impression of the upper jaw and palato-alveolar conditions) for casting of a protective obturator (splint), used during intubation to cover the defect of the alveolar arch and palate will be created on a 3D printer, in cooperation with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (Department of Mechanics of Bodies, Mechatronics and Biomechanics) of Brno University of Technology. For the production of the obturator, a silicone certified for use in the oral cavity will be used.
Device: 3D obturator
The standard procedure without the 3D obturator.
Based on this 3D visualization of precise anatomical conditions in the oral cavity, a form (negative unique impression of the upper jaw and palato-alveolar conditions) for casting of a protective obturator (splint), used during intubation to cover the defect of the alveolar arch and palate will be created on a 3D printer
Also known as: 3D printer obturator
Degree of oral tissue injury during intubation
specifically presence of petechiae, bleeding or soft tissue swelling after intubation in the entire cleft defect area, possibly premaxilla fracture in total cleft patients as a result of manipulation of the laryngoscope in the oral cavity
Time frame: Intraoperatively (after successful intubation)
Cormack-Lehane score
evaluation of the laryngoscopic image during intubation evaluated by the Cormack-Lehane score with or without the use of the protective tray. Cormack-Lehane scale range from 1 (ideal view - vocal cords) to 4 (the worst view of aditus laryngis, only the soft palate visible). For proper archiving of the intubation process, a photodocumentation of the laryngoscopic image during intubation will be taken for each patient using a video laryngoscope.
Time frame: Intraoperatively (during intubation)
Number of intubations attempts
The number of intubation attempts to secure the airways (first successful intubation = first wave of end-tidal CO2) with and without the use of the protective tray will be evaluated
Time frame: Intraoperatively
Incidence of associated complications
The incidence of associated complications during induction of anesthesia - laryngospasm, bradycardia, severe desaturation \< 80 % oxygen saturation oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry pulse oximetry - SpO2 will be assessed
Time frame: Intraoperatively
Plan to share: Undecided
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
Contact study teamGet an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
Brno University Hospital