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Cleft Lip & Cleft Palate - CLASSIFICATIONS

These diagrams and illustrations have been designed to help you learn, memorise and recall key information.

KERNAHAN Classification      

Also called the “striped Y” system.

Further modified by Millard and Jackson

 

LAHSAL Classification

Written from the perspective of someone looking at the patient

(i.e. first character is for patient's right lip, last character for patient's left lip).

Used by the national database on clefts      

“Capitals” indicating complete clefts of :-

 lip;alveolus;hard palate; soft palate; alvelous; lip.

“Lower case” for incomplete clefts.

“Dot” for no cleft.

eg “LAHS..” (for a complete right cleft lip and complete cleft palate)

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