title: Influence of the Furlow palatoplasty for patients with submucous cleft palate on facial growth.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the facial growth in patients with submucous cleft palate operated on using the Furlow palatoplasty. A total of 30 patients with submucous cleft palate underwent Furlow palatoplasty from 1993 to 1998. The mean follow-up period was 4 years and 3 months. Twenty-five of 30 patients were followed up. Mid-facial growth was measured using lateral cephalograms in 18 patients whose age was greater than 8 years. The parameters obtained in the lateral cephalogram were compared with those of a healthy population in Korea. Eleven (61.1%) of 18 patients observed were within the clinical normal range for the age group for the parameter of the span between the anterior nasal spine and posterior nasal spine, 6 patients (33.3%) were over the range, and 1 patient (5.6%) was below the range. For the sella-nasion-subspinale angle, 55.6% of patients were within the clinical normal range, 27.8% were over the range, and 16.6% were below the range. For the sella-nasion-supramentale angle, 55.6% of patients were within the clinical normal range, 22.2% were over the range, and 22.2% were below the range. For the sella-nasion-subspinale-sella-nasion-supramentale angle, 72.2% of patients were within the clinical normal range, 27.8% were over the range, and none were below the range. For the span between the basion and posterior nasal spine, 50.0% of patients were within the clinical normal range, 27.8% were over the range, and 22.2% were below the range. In conclusion, our results suggest that the Furlow palatoplasty is a useful procedure as an initial treatment of submucous cleft palate and that this technique has a less harmful effect on facial growth because there is no excessive surgical intervention on the hard palate and alveolar process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstruction Surgery, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, Korea. bccho@knu.ac.kr
authors.forename: Byung Chae
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Jong Yeop
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jung Duk
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Dong Gul
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ho Yun
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Jae Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002508:Cephalometry; D002648:Child; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000145:classification / Q000601:surgery*; D005147:Facial Bones / Q000254:growth & development / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008437:Maxilla / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008445:Maxillofacial Development; D009295:Nasal Bone / Q000254:growth & development / Q000503:physiopathology; D010156:Palatal Muscles / Q000601:surgery; D010160:Palate, Soft / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014681:Velopharyngeal Insufficiency / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000601:surgery*