Background
Cleft lip and palate is the most common congenital anomaly affecting the orofacial region. Palatal fistula is a challenging complication following repair of cleft palate. The purpose of the study was to check the efficacy of the double-flap technique in closure of postcleft oronasal fistula.
Patients and methods
A total of 24 patients with postcleft palatoplasty oronasal fistula, aged from 6 to 15 years, were included in this study. They were subjected to the double-flap technique for fistula closure. Follow-up was up to 6 months postoperatively for each patient. Proper healing and functional aspects were evaluated. Approval of the ethical committee has been obtained for this study.
Results
A total of 15 females and nine males with cleft oronasal fistula were included. The maximum width of fistulae ranged from 4 to 12 mm. Successful closure was achieved in 80% of patients, 10% of patients had reduction of fistula size, and 10% of patients had recurrent fistula. Six patients had anterior palatal fistula closure by double-flap technique, 13 patients had simultaneous alveolar bone graft, and 10 patients had lip splitting for layered closure of vestibulonasal fistula.
Conclusion
The obtained results support the double-flap technique for closure of oronasal fistula. It has many advantages as it is a single-stage procedure that can be done simultaneously with alveolar bone graft, from the same surgical field, and with less discomfort to the patient.