Cleft palate repair: art and issues

Cleft palate may occur as an isolated finding or as part of numerous congenital syndromes. The art of cleft palate repair requires decisions about timing for surgical intervention and the choice of repair techniques. The goals for cleft palate repair are optimization of velopharyngeal function and preservation of maxillofacial growth. This article reviews the incidence, epidemiology, and anatomic classification of cleft palates. Strategies for timing of repair and commonly used techniques are presented for typical cleft palate cases. For each case, changes and trends in primary cleft palate repair over the last decade are highlighted. Intraoperative and postoperative patient management issues are discussed.