AMMAN - Twenty-five children suffering from cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities underwent reconstructive surgery at the Jordan University Hospital (JUH) last week as part of the Hope Campaign.
The campaign, which seeks to spread hope to less fortunate children in Jordan, is sponsored by LG Electronics (LGE) in cooperation with JUH and specialists from Seoul University.
A medical team consisting of 13 Korean and Jordanian specialists, including plastic surgeons, performed the operations after screening the patients.
The Jordanian team was headed by Dr. Samir Jabaiti, head of surgery and burns unit at the JUH, according to an LGE statement.
The children - most of them under the age of three - received a visit from Korean Ambassador in Jordan Shin Bong-kil while in recovery.
The ambassador told The Jordan Times he was extremely proud of the Korean-Jordanian team, pointing out the importance of such initiatives.
"Although it is impossible to help all the children needing this surgery, the physicians were able to change the lives of 25 babies and their families... There are many kinds of exchanges and cooperation, but this is a way to show humanity. I saw the faces of these children, and when I saw them smile, I was very moved," he added.
The campaign, launched in 2004, has helped children who come from families who would not otherwise be able to afford the costs involved in such medical procedures.
Commending the efforts of the Jordanian-Korean team, JUH Deputy President Nabil Shawakfa noted that such initiatives promote academic and medical exchange between the University of Jordan and international universities, scientific centres and hospitals.
A medical seminar conducted by the Korean team on the latest medical advancements in the field of reconstructive surgery is also part of the Hope Campaign.
The seminar seeks to contribute to the exchange of expertise and knowledge between medical specialists in Jordan and Korea.
The Mayo Clinic describes a cleft is an opening or a split in the upper lip, palate or both. Though a cleft lip or palate often occurs as an isolated birth defect, it is also associated with more than 300 known genetic conditions.
Children with cleft lip with or without cleft palate face a variety of challenges related to their defect, depending on the type and severity of the cleft such as difficulty eating, ear infections and hearing loss, dental care and tooth development, speech and language impairments and finally, psychological problems.
Researchers believe that most cases of cleft lip and cleft palate are the result of a unique interaction between genetic and environmental factors, although a definite cause may never be discovered for every baby, according to the Mayo Clinic.Emerging treatments
Based on new research, it may soon be routine for doctors to repair cleft lip and cleft palate in foetuses before birth. Doctors hope that minimally invasive surgical techniques will make this possible, since the risk to the mother and baby is reduced by smaller incisions. One major advantage of in-utero repair of cleft lip and cleft palate is "scarless healing," a phenomenon in which the surgical wounds made in a young foetus heal with little or no noticeable scar. This early repair also has the potential to interrupt the secondary effects of cleft lip and cleft palate, such as speech, dental and hearing problems, as well as counteracting psychological issues for the child and family.
By Sandy Hanna
© Jordan Times 2008
