SURGICAL-TREATMENT OF CLEFT-PALATE - 27 YEARS EXPERIENCE OF THE WARDILL-KILNER TECHNIQUE

During the period 1958-1985, 230 patients with cleft palate were opera ted on in the Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Goteborg, S weden. A modified push-back technique according to Wardill and Kilner was used. The children were operated on at a mean age of 13 months. Th ey were divided into two groups, the first in which the cleft affected the velum only (n = 121) and the other in which it also affected the hard palate (n = 109). Postoperative dehiscences and fistulas occurred in 19 (8%) patients, of which 16 (15%) belonged to the group in which the cleft affected the hard palate. Only three (2%) of the 121 patien ts with a cleft in the soft palate only developed dehiscences. The tot al number of patients who had to be reoperated on because of dehiscenc es were 10 (4%) and palatopharyngeal flaps had to be performed in 25 p atients (11%) because of speech problems.