Lip tape therapy in patients with a cleft lip – a report on eight cases

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Lip tape therapy or lip taping is a widely used tissue approximation technique in cleft lip babies. Various tapes have been tested and used worldwide. Allergic reactions and skin irritation are the most common problems encountered. Tension force across the tape cannot be consistently applied. Cost is also an obstacle to adopting lip tape therapy, particularly in developing countries. AIM: A study was undertaken to evaluate a different tape, “physio tape”, which has never been used for lip approximation in cleft lip babies. METHOD: Eight babies were available for this study, which was conducted over a six-week period (Ethical Approval number 33/2013). Standardised pre- and post-treatment recordings were made with a digital camera and soft tissue analysis was carried out with Cliniview software. RESULTS: All participants showed a reduction in cleft size ranging from 9.1mm to 36.7mm at the vermillion end of the cleft. Caregivers had no difficulty with the lip tape procedure and generally no untoward or allergic reactions were reported. CONCLUSION: On the basis of the positive results of this investigation, it is recommended that this method of lip tape therapy be used on all babies born with a cleft lip. It is affordable, simple to use and should facilitate the surgical repair.