COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SURGICAL TECHNIQUE FOR THE CORRECTION OF THE CONGENITAL CLEFT PALATE IN MONGOLIA

Objective : The objective of this study was to compare the surgical techniques for the correction of congenital cleft palate. Techniques and approaches : Four-hundred-sixity patients operated between 1993 and 2008 were included in this study. The collected data were age, sex, operating time, admission days, and complications. The comparison between techniques were done by independent t-test. Results: The majority (86.9 %) of patients were received the operation later than 1.5 years old. The distribution of each surgical technique was 43.8 % by Bardach palatoplasty, 11.9 % by Furlow palatoplasty, 1.8 % by Veau palatoplasty, and 42.4 % by the new technique developed by us. Postoperative complication such as wound dehiscence, formation of oro-nasal fistulas in the soft and hard palates were shown in 23.0 % of Bardach technique, 44.2 % of Furlow technique, and 37.5 % of Veau technique. However, only 5.4 % of patients were shown complications in our technique (P<0.001). The operation time was recorded 70 minutes under new technique while the others were 110 minutes (P<0.001). The clinical treatment at hospital was required 7.4 days for our technique and 11.3-15.5 days for the other methods. Conclusion : The surgical treatment of congenital cleft palate in Mongolia was conducted later than proper timing for surgery. As the results were indicated, our new technique should be considered for the correction of cleft palate in old aged patients.