• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.97-103
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• 2013

Background Velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) may persist after primary repair of the cleft palate, and surgical correction is necessary in many cases. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of double opposing Z-plasty (DOZ) in cleft palate patients suffering from VPI after primary two-flap palatoplasty. Methods Between March 1999 and August 2005, we identified 82 patients who underwent two-flap palatoplasty for cleft palate repair. After excluding the patients with congenital syndrome and mental retardation, 13 patients were included in the final study group. The average age of the patients who underwent DOZ at was 5 years and 1 month. Resonance, nasal emission, and articulation were evaluated by a speech pathologist. The velopharyngeal gaps were measured before and after surgery. Results Six patients attained normal speech capabilities after DOZ. The hypernasality grade was significantly improved after surgery in all of the patients (P=0.0015). Whereas nasal emission disappeared in 8 patients (61.5%), it was diminished but still persisted in the remaining 5 patients. Articulation was improved in all of the cases. In two cases, the velopharyngeal gap was measured using a ruler. The gap decreased from 11.5 to 7 mm in one case, and from 12.5 to 8 mm in the second case. Conclusions The use of DOZ as a surgical option to correct VPI has many advantages compared with other procedures. These include short surgery time, few troublesome complications, and no harmful effects on the dynamic physiological functioning of the pharynx. This study shows that DOZ can be another option for surgical treatment of patients with VPI after two-flap palatoplasty.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.748-752
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• 2007

Purpose: The goal of palatoplasty is focused on two points. One is to close the palatal defect completely, and the other to create a velopharyngeal system for normal speech. While established methods such as pushback palatoplasty or double opposing Z palatoplasty are used in wide cleft palate repair, sequelae such as maxillary hypoplasia or oronasal fistula may result. Therefore, when palatoplasty with buccinator myomucosal flap is used in the case of wide cleft palates, maxillary hypoplasia and oronasal fistula is reduced and optimal results are obtained. Methods: From October 2005 to December 2006, four children with wide complete cleft palate underwent unilateral buccinator myomucosal flap and intravelar veloplaty. Mean age at cleft repair was 15 months, and mean cleft size was 2.15 cm. The patients underwent intravelar veloplasty and palatoplasty was done using unilateral buccinator myomucosal flap. Results: The patients, after mean 10 months of follow-up observation, showed no signs of oronasal fistula resulting from flap tension. The shape and color similar to normal oral mucosa was obtained, and velopharyngeal function was acquired. Conclusion: When intravelar veloplasty and palatoplasty with unilateral buccinator myomucosal flap is done on wide cleft palates, postoperative speech function is optimal, velopharyngeal incompetence is effectively corrected, and sequelae resulting from pushback palatoplasty and double opposing Z-plasty, such as maxillary hypoplasia and oronasal fistula, is reduced.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.458-460
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• 2001

A 11-month-old infancy was referred for treatment of cleft palate. The patient's congenital deformities had included oronasal fistula on the soft palate and bifid uvula. Furrow double-opposing Z-plasty was performed under general anesthesia. However, postoperative bleeding developed at ward. Despite the pressure of operative wound, venous oozing continued and hemoglobin concentration and RBC were decreased (Hb: 5.5g/dL, RBC: $1.98{\times}10^6/mm^3$). The patient was pale and confused and transferred to Surgical Intensive Care Unit(SICU) We could not keep the peripheral venous line and there was a high risk of hypovolemic shock. Emergency transfusion was performed through the central femoral venous line and emergency operation for bleeding control was carried out. We explored the operation site and found bleeding point from the posterior pharyngeal wall. Electrocoagulation and surgicel packing were carried out and bleeding was stopped.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.67-74
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• 2006

Palatoplasty using Furlow's double-opposing Z-plasty has been performed from June, 1995 to September, 1999 at Seoul National University Children's Hospital. The goal of this study is to determine the optimal timing of repair and cleft severity affecting velopharyngeal function. This is the retrospective study of patients operated by the second author. The mean age of patients was 10.53 months. The patients could be divided into three groups-isolated cleft palate(n=70), unilateral cleft lip and palate(n=88), and bilateral cleft lip and palate(n=42). To evaluate the velopharyngeal function, we used two parameters, speech evaluation and cineofluorography using DSR(digital subtraction radiography). Also, to determine the relevance between cleft severity and speech development, we measured the distance between maxillary tuberosities and cleft margins. Among 200 patients, about 96% had no or minimal hypernasality and 87% had no or mild nasal emission. The cleft width and length of soft palate seemed not to be related with the speech development. Palatoplasty at the age under 12 months resulted in less 'nasal emission' and better 'articulation' of the parameters that were assessed at the age of 7 years. It can be concluded Furlow palatoplasty shows satisfactory results and also it seems that it is better to perform the operation before the age of 12 months.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 2022

Background Cleft lip and cleft palate are the most frequent congenital craniofacial deformities, with an incidence of approximately 1 per 700 people. Postoperative palatal fistula is one of the most significant long-term complications. This study investigated the incidence of postoperative palatal fistula and its predictive factors based on 25 years of experience at our hospital. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 636 consecutive palatal repairs performed between January 1996 and October 2020 by a single surgeon. Data from patients' medical records regarding cleft palate repair were analyzed. The preoperative extent of the cleft was evaluated using the Veau classification system, and the cleft palate repair technique was chosen according to the extent of the cleft. SPSS version 25.0 was used for all statistical analyses, and exploratory univariate associations were investigated using the t-test. Results Fistulas occurred in 20 of the 636 patients; thus, the incidence of palatal fistula was 3.1%. The most common fistula location was the hard palate (9/20, 45%), followed by the junction of the hard and soft palate (6/20, 30%) and the soft palate (5/20, 25%). The cleft palate repair technique significantly predicted the incidence of palatal fistula following cleft palate repair (P=0.042). Fistula incidence was significantly higher in patients who underwent surgery using the Furlow double-opposing Z-plasty technique (12.1%) than in cases where the Busan modification (3.0%) or two-flap technique (2.0%) was used. Conclusions The overall incidence of palatal fistulas was 3.1% in this study. Moreover, the technique of cleft palate repair predicted fistula incidence.

• Korean Journal of Cleft Lip And Palate
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.25-34
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• 2004

The present study was carried out to investigate the change of the palatal length after palatoplasty in congenital cleft palate. With the data from one hundred and twelve patients with cleft palate who had been treated at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of Chonnam University Hospital over a period of 10 years(April 1995 to April 2004). The epidemiological characteristics, the method of palate repair, the postoperative complications and the extent of palatal lengthening were investigated and analyzed statistically. Incomplete cleft palate occurs more frequently than complete cleft palate. Male were affected 2.1 times more than female in complete cleft palate, and female were affected 1.2 times more than male in incomplete cleft palate. Dorrance method and Wardill V-Y method were frequently used in repair of incomplete cleft palate. Wardill V-Y method, Furlow double opposing Z-plasty, two flap method, and Perko method were widely used in repair of complete cleft palate. The extent of palatal lengthening was greater in the incomplete cleft palate group(5.84 mm) than in the complete cleft palate group(4.71 mm), and in the Furlow double opposing Z-plasty group(5.70 mm) than in the push back palatoplasty group(5.33 mm). But no significant difference was noted. Palatal fistula and wound dehiscence were popular postoperative complications in cleft palate. These results indicate that the extent of palatal lengthening, which contributing to speech function, is a range of 3.5% to 24.0%(average 10.8%) after palatoplasty in cleft palate patients.