Palatoplasty Outcomes in Nonsyndromic Patients With Cleft Palate: A 29-Year Assessment of One Surgeon's Experience

The primary objective of cleft palate repair is velopharyngeal competence without fistula. The reported incidence of fistula and velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) is variable. Our purpose was to assess the senior surgeon's 29-year palatoplasty experience with respect to incidence of fistula and VPI. Our hypotheses were that VPI is related to (1) age at palatoplasty, (2) cleft palate type, and (3) VPI and palatal fistula incidence decrease with the surgeon's experience. We reviewed the records of all children with cleft palate treated by the senior author between 1976 and 2004. Cleft palate was categorized according to Veau. Palatoplasty was performed on 449 patients, using a 2-flap technique with muscular retropositioning. The mean age at palatoplasty was 11.6 +/- 4.9 months (range, 7.0-46.4 months). The incidence of palatal fistula was 2.9%, and velopharyngeal sufficiency was found in 85.1% of patients. We found a significant association between age at palatoplasty and VPI (P=0.009, odds ratio, 1.06 [95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.10]). Velopharyngeal insufficiency was also associated with the Veau hierarchy (P=0.001). Incidence of VPI was independent of surgeon experience (P = 0.2). In conclusion, the incidence of palatal fistula was low. Velopharyngeal insufficiency was associated with increasing age at palatoplasty and with the Veau hierarchy.