ANATOMY OF ORBICULARIS ORIS MUSCLE AND ITS CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE IN CLEFT LIP REPAIR

Abstract

Repair of the cleft lip must be based on a through knowledge of the normal anatomy of the orbicularis oris muscle. This has been emphasized in recent years (Chul Gyoo, 1995). Many ingenious techniques have been adopted where skin incision with simple repair of the orbicularis oris muscle has produced a considerable improvement in the appearance of the upper lip, however, the repaired upper lip seems to change its shape abnormally in motion and has a tendency to be distorted with age. This has been attributed to the fact that the orbicularis oris muscle is not repaired precisely and accurately (Nicolau, 1983).