Otologic Outcomes With Two Different Surgical Protocols in Patients With a Cleft Palate: A Retrospective Study

To compare otologic outcomes in patients with cleft palate who underwent 2 different surgical protocols.

Monocentric retrospective analysis of medical reports.

All consecutively treated patients affected by a cleft palate, born between January 1998 and December 2002 (group 1) and between January 2007 and December 2010 (group 2).

Patients in group 1 underwent Veau-Wardill-Kilner palatoplasty at 10 months and had ventilation tubes inserted in case of otitis media with effusion (OME) during surgery. Patients in group 2 underwent Sommerlad intravelar veloplasty at 5 months. Ventilation tubes were inserted only in case of persistent OME.

The need for a second set of ventilation tubes to be inserted in case of persistent OME, the presence of OME at the age of 2 years, and tympanic abnormalities at the age of 5 years were analyzed.

There was no statistically significant difference either for the presence of OME at the age of 2 years (27 [45%] vs 32 [57.14%], respectively, in groups 1 and 2; P = .191) or for tympanic abnormalities at the age of 5 years (20 [33.33%] vs 15 [26.79%]; P = .433). Statistically significant difference was found for the need to insert a second set of ventilation tubes in case of persistent OME (29 [48.33%] vs 12 [21.42%], respectively; P = .02).

Early Sommerlad intravelar veloplasty may reduce persistent OME and consequently the need for ventilation tubes insertion, compared to later Veau-Wardill-Kilner palatoplasty.