Split palatal U-flap: a new technique for repair of caudal hard palate defects

Oronasal fistulas located in the central portion of the hard palate can be surgically repaired using a transposition flap of hard palate mucoperiosteum from tissue adjacent to the defect. The purpose of this report is to describe a new technique, the split palatal U-flap, for the surgical repair of large caudal hard palate defects in the dog and cat. A description of this new technique and case reports of a dog and a cat in which this technique was utilized to repair caudal hard palate defects are included.