COMPARISON OF THE FURLOW DOUBLE-OPPOSING Z-PALATOPLASTY WITH THE WARDILL-KILNER PROCEDURE FOR ISOLATED CLEFTS OF THE SOFT PALATE

This retrospective investigation compared the operative experience spe ech results of 21 patients who underwent a Furlow double-opposing Z-pa latoplasty with those of 10 patients who underwent a modified Wardill- Kilner procedure. The modification consisted of not incising the nasal mucosa. All patients presented with an isolated cleft of the soft pal ate and were operated on by a single surgeon. The choice of operative technique was based solely on the fact that the surgeon developed an i ncreasing preference for the Furlow procedure over time. The mean age at surgery was 1.3 and 1.5 years for the Furlow group and the Wardill- Kilner group, respectively. The average postoperative follow-up was 2. 5 and 3.1 years, respectively. The mean operative times and hospital s tay were the same for both groups. Postoperative speech assessments in volved equal-appearing interval scale ratings of hypernasality and nas al emission, as well as pressure-flow testing and perceptual judgments of overall velopharyngeal adequacy. Analysis failed to reveal any sta tistically or clinically significant differences between the two group s.