Contribution of the Use of a Pen-Type Endoscope to Evaluate and Treat Ears Simultaneously During Cleft Palate Surgery...

The prevalence of secretory otitis media is very high among the nonoperated cleft palate patients.

Ninety-one cleft palate operations were performed on late presented cases in Sudan, Africa. The surgeries were performed according to the Veau-Wardill-Kilner push-back technique. A laptop connected pen-type endoscopic camera was used to evaluate the tympanic membrane and address middle ear disease in all patients simultaneously. The procedure was performed after removing wax from the external auditory canal. A small incision was made with a myringotomy knife through the layers of the tympanic membrane if any sign of fluid collection was observed, after which the middle ear effusion was evacuated and the ventilation tube was inserted.

This procedure was undertaken in 182 ears; 41 ears (22.5%) were healthy, 19 ears (10.5%) had chronic perforations, 122 ears (67%) underwent myringotomy procedures, and 54 (44.2%) were treated by inserting a ventilation tube. Despite the challenging work environment, standard monitoring facilities were available and all operations were completed with no early complications.

The pen-type camera instead of an operating microscope was a tremendous contribution, as it was easy to handle and contributed to the good outcomes. The use of this technique is strongly recommended in surgical camps.

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