The Restorative Potential of Double Layered Mucoperiosteum

Abstract

In 45 growing domestic cats the palatal periosteum was studied in respect to postoperative synthesis of new bone and ability of restoring normal anatomy. At the age of two months, the whole mid-palatal suture and adjoining bone was resected in 15 animals. By the operative technique applied, the 5 mm wide osseous mid-palatal cleft thus obtained was made to be completely covered by undisrupted mucoperiosteum both orally and nasally. At cessation of general growth, a complete osseous regeneration was found in all of these animals. Only 5 individuals had, however, regained a normal looking mid-palatal suture. In the rest of this group, bone bridges were seen interlocking the palatal halves. Similar synostosis of the mid-palatal suture did also appear in 3 out of 15 other animals in which merely the oral mucoperiosteum had been elevated and replaced without bone resection, i.e. a sham-operation testing the soft tissue reaction of the surgical trauma. In contrast to these observations an open suture without bone bridges was, without exceptions, found in 15 other cats kept as unoperated controls. In being a kind of double layered periosteoplasty, the present study may support the frequent clinical observation of maxillary growth arrest following some methods of cleft palate surgery. In addition, the integrity of sutural and periosteal tissue appears to be influenced from the necessary mechanical/vascular manipulations. Such effects should therefore generally be considered in surgery of the palate in young individuals.