This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Reconstructive Facial Surgery  • Alert me on articles by topic

Marijo Bagatin, MD, DDS; Neal Goldman, MD; Gary J. Nishioka, MD, DDS

Arch Facial Plast Surg. 2000;2:146-147.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

INTRODUCTION

Recurrent palatal fistulas following primary cleft palate repair are uncommon, with an incidence ranging between 9% and 34%.^1-3 Factors that contribute to the development of a recurrent fistula include the size of the initial cleft, the method of repair, and the surgeon.³ When fistulas recur they are usually located in the anterior palate and are small to moderate in size. When large defects are seen they typically follow repeated surgical attempts at closure.

Methods used to close small to moderate recurrent palatal fistulas include various types of local flaps.^4-5 As the defect increases in size, a flap with greater surface area is needed; consequently, most local flaps are inadequate. Various regional flaps,^6-7 large local tongue flaps,^8-10 and free flaps have been used.¹¹ While these larger flaps provide coverage, they also increase morbidity. Furthermore, these techniques do not address . . . [Full Text of this Article]

PROCEDURE

COMMENT

From the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia (Dr Bagatin); Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC (Dr Goldman); and Department of Otolaryngology, University of Washington, Seattle (Dr Nishioka).