TY - JOUR
T1 - Surgical management in submucous cleft palate patients
AU - Smarius, B. J. A.
AU - Guillaume, C. H. A. L.
AU - Slegers, J.
AU - Mink van der Molen, A. B.
AU - Breugem, C. C.
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).
PY - 2021/6/1
Y1 - 2021/6/1
N2 - Objectives: The submucous cleft palate (SMCP) is considered to be the most subtle type of cleft palate. Early detection is important to allow on time intervention by speech therapy and/or surgical repair before the children already develop compensatory speech mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to investigate at what time children with a SMCP present, to determine when children are operated, and to analyze the postoperative outcomes for in SMCP children. Patient and methods: Medical records from 766 individuals registered in the cleft registry in the Wilhelmina’s Children’s’ Hospital, Utrecht, were retrospectively reviewed. Inclusion criteria were children diagnosed with SMCP. The following data were collected: age at diagnosis, physical examination, age at surgery, surgical technique, speech therapy pre- and post-surgery, otitis media, secondary cleft surgery, family history, syndromes, and other anomalies. Results: In total, 56 SMCP children were identified. The mean age of diagnosis was 44.0 months (range 0–150, SD = 37.0). In 48 children (85.7%), surgical intervention was performed (Furlow plasty, intravelar veloplasty, pharyngoplasty, or Furlow combined with buccal flap). Conclusion: This retrospective study reconfirms that SMCP often presents late, even in a country with a modern healthcare system and adequate follow-up of all newborns by the so-called youth doctors in “children’s healthcare centers” up to the age of 4 years old. Almost 86% of patients ultimately needed palate surgery when SMCP was suspected. Clinical relevance: Any child presenting with repeated episodes of otitis media, nasal regurgitation, or speech difficulties should have prompt consideration for SMCP as diagnosis.
AB - Objectives: The submucous cleft palate (SMCP) is considered to be the most subtle type of cleft palate. Early detection is important to allow on time intervention by speech therapy and/or surgical repair before the children already develop compensatory speech mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to investigate at what time children with a SMCP present, to determine when children are operated, and to analyze the postoperative outcomes for in SMCP children. Patient and methods: Medical records from 766 individuals registered in the cleft registry in the Wilhelmina’s Children’s’ Hospital, Utrecht, were retrospectively reviewed. Inclusion criteria were children diagnosed with SMCP. The following data were collected: age at diagnosis, physical examination, age at surgery, surgical technique, speech therapy pre- and post-surgery, otitis media, secondary cleft surgery, family history, syndromes, and other anomalies. Results: In total, 56 SMCP children were identified. The mean age of diagnosis was 44.0 months (range 0–150, SD = 37.0). In 48 children (85.7%), surgical intervention was performed (Furlow plasty, intravelar veloplasty, pharyngoplasty, or Furlow combined with buccal flap). Conclusion: This retrospective study reconfirms that SMCP often presents late, even in a country with a modern healthcare system and adequate follow-up of all newborns by the so-called youth doctors in “children’s healthcare centers” up to the age of 4 years old. Almost 86% of patients ultimately needed palate surgery when SMCP was suspected. Clinical relevance: Any child presenting with repeated episodes of otitis media, nasal regurgitation, or speech difficulties should have prompt consideration for SMCP as diagnosis.
KW - Otitis media
KW - Speech problems
KW - Speech therapy
KW - Submucous cleft
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85100046396&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-020-03719-1
DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-020-03719-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 33521885
SN - 1432-6981
VL - 25
SP - 3893
EP - 3903
JO - Clinical Oral Investigations
JF - Clinical Oral Investigations
IS - 6
ER -