In utero thumb sucking through cleft lip and palate.

To the Editor: A 22-year-old primigravida was admitted to our department at 16 weeks’ gestation. The medical histories of the parents were unremarkable. Transabdominal sonography indicated a cleft lip and palate (Figure 1). During scanning, the fetus was found to suck the thumb through the cleft lip and palate (Figure 2 and Video 1). Targeted sonography did not reveal any other accompanying malformation. In utero thumb sucking has been reported in the English literature and has been found to be associated with handedness.1,2 However, to the best of our knowledge, a case documenting the occurrence of thumb sucking through a cleft lip and palate has not been reported previously. Although nothing was critical about this observation, it was an exceptional instantaneous finding for us, and we decided to share it with the readers of the journal.