Surgical Treatment Of Cleft Palate

Abstract

During the period 1958–1985, 230 patients with cleft palate were operated on in the Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Göteborg, Sweden. A modified push-back technique according to Wardill and Kilner was used. The children were operated on at a mean age of 13 months. They were divided into two groups, the first in which the cleft affected the velum only (n = 121) and the other in which it also affected the hard palate (n=109). Postoperative dehiscences and fistulas occurred in 19 (8%) patients, of which 16 (15%) belonged to the group in which the cleft affected the hard palate. Only three (2%) of the 121 patients with a cleft in the soft palate only developed dehiscences. The total number of patients who had to be reoperated on because of dehiscences were 10 (4%) and palatopharyngeal flaps had to be performed in 25 patients (11%) because of speech problems.

Key words:

• cleft palate
• Wardill-Kilner method
• surgery
• plastic
• push-back repair
• cleft extension
• operative results