title: Tympanoplasty results in patients with cleft palate: an age- and procedure-matched comparison of preliminary results with patients without cleft palate.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Because of continued eustachian tube abnormalities, the presence of a cleft palate repair has been thought to be associated with poor outcomes after tympanoplastic surgery. However, little published data exist regarding the results of major otologic surgery in patients with cleft palate. The objective of this study was to review our results of otologic surgery in these patients and compare results with those of age- and procedure-matched controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our otologic database was used to identify patients with a repaired cleft palate who underwent otologic surgery between March 1994 and December 1999. Two control patients were identified for each cleft palate patient. Results of hearing, graft take, and need for postoperative pressure-equalizing tubes were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant difference existed between patients with a repaired cleft palate and control patients with regard to postoperative air-bone gap (P = 0.6805), graft survival rate (P = 1.00), and need for postoperative intubation (P = 0.457).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results in patients with cleft palate appear to be similar to those in patients without cleft palate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AK 72205, USA.
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Dornhoffer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D004427:Ear Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000502:physiology; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D008876:Middle Ear Ventilation; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014433:Tympanoplasty