ABSTRACT
Alterations in normal craniofacial development can lead to clinical anomalies that affect orofacial structures. Defects in growth or fusion of the facial processes may result in orofacial clefts or others congenital disorders. Palatogenesis in humans is initiated around the sixth week of gestation and fusion of the facial processes occurs firstly on lip by 8th weeks and later on palate by 12th weeks of gestation (Melnick et al. 1990). Cleft Lip and Palate (CLP) are between the most common congenital malformations (Offerdal et al. 2008) and present a widely ethnical and geographic variation (Melnick et al. 1990). Orofacial clefts can be classified according to the involvement or not of
routine prenatal evaluation, prenatal diagnosis of isolated CL by two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound has historically been poor. Despite this, few diagnosed cases were reported during the first trimester of pregnancy.
