title: Pharyngeal flaps after one- and two-stage repair of the cleft palate: a 25-year review of 520 patients.
abstract: Between 1962 and 1976, a one-stage surgical procedure was performed on 328 cases of cleft lip and palate or isolated cleft palate. From 1977 to 1986, a two-stage surgical procedure was performed on 192 patients. After one-stage repair, 22 (6.7%) required a pharyngeal flap at the age of 6 years, and 13 (7%) required a flap after two-stage repair. When the patients were 14 years or older, 56 (17%) needed a flap after one-stage repair, and 14 (24%) required a flap after two-stage repair. Two-stage repair at 24 months and 5.2 years resulted in more patients in need of pharyngeal flaps than those who had repair at 12 to 18 months and 3 years. In both groups, at age 10, the incidence of flaps was approximately 20% after closure of isolated cleft palate involving the hard palate, with 11 to 12% in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) or clefts of the soft palate only, and 14 to 16% in patients with bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP). The pharyngeal flap was more often used in girls than in boys, especially in cases with CP only. Approximately 85% of the flaps were carried out before the age of 10 years, and only a few flaps may have been related to involution of the adenoid. The incidence of fistulas was higher after one-stage repair of cleft lip and palate (CLP) (p < .05) and lower in patients with CP only (p < .05), compared with the results after two-stage repair. Pharyngeal flaps were slightly more common after two-stage repair.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery, Akademiska sjukhuset, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vedung
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000601:surgery*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010160:Palate, Soft / Q000601:surgery; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013515:Surgery, Oral / Q000379:methods*; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D014681:Velopharyngeal Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery