[Repair of hard cleft palate with absorbable membranes made by poly-DL-lactic acid: a feasibility study].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the feasibility and clinical results of applying poly-DL-lactic acid (PDLLA) biomembranes in cleft palate repair.


METHODS
68 cleft palate patients were divided into study group and control group. The traditional surgical method was used to control group to close the soft cleft palate, and the PDLLA biomembrane was used to study group and implanted into the surgical gap between the periosteum and bone at the hard palate, and fixed with suture. The duration, blood loss at operation, post-operative complication, wound healing and recovery were recorded and compared to conventional cleft palate repair.


RESULTS
Operations were successfully completed on all 34 patients. Wound healing of soft palate and uvula was uneventful with no incidence of fistula or dehiscence. The primary healing on tissue defect of hard palate occurred in 29 patients, secondary healing occurred in 3 patients, permanent fistula between the oral cavity and the nasal cavity occurred in only one patients, and 3 patients left over fistula on alveolar process. Compared to traditional cleft palate repair, blood loss and incidence of fistula on alveolar process were decreased; the average surgical time was 89.25 minutes and was not prolonged; and there was no significant increase in post-operative complication.


CONCLUSIONS
Hard cleft palate repair with PDLLA biomembranes is safe, simple and practical with good clinical results and is beneficial to minimize the bad influences towards the development and growth for maxilla of cleft palate patients.
Li
Wan-shan
WS
Cleft Lip & Palate Center, Children's Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400014, China.
Wei
Shi-cheng
SC
Zheng
Qian
Q
Zhang
Xiao-jun
XJ
Ning
Qiu
Q
Xiong
Cheng-dong
CD
D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000601:surgery*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D048091:Guided Tissue Regeneration / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008445:Maxillofacial Development; D021362:Palate, Hard / Q000601:surgery; D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures
D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers; D019344:Lactic Acid; C033616:poly(lactide)