Velar adhesion reduces cleft width prior to palatoplasty in cleft lip

For patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP), velar adhesion (VA) reduces cleft width prior to palatoplasty and is associated with a lower incidence of otitis media with effusion (OME), according to a study published online May 28 in PLOS ONE.

Miki Kashiwagi, from The University of Tokyo Hospital, and colleagues examined the impact of VA on cleft-width reduction and the incidence of OME in patients with UCLP. Forty-five patients with UCLP who underwent a palatoplasty were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were divided into two groups: those who underwent VA during lip repair and those who did not (VA group and non-VA group). Cleft width and alveolar cleft width were measured at birth, lip repair, and palatoplasty; the day before palatoplasty, presence of OME was assessed.

The researchers found that at the time of palatoplasty, significant cleft-width reduction was seen in the VA group versus the non-VA group (4.58 versus 6.55 mm). A significantly lower incidence of OME was seen in the VA group versus the non-VA group (60.0 versus 90.91%). For the alveolar cleft width or maxillary growth, no significant between-group differences were identified.

“The results of our present analyses suggest that VA significantly reduces the cleft width at the junction of the hard and soft palates,” the authors write. “VA also presents the potential for mitigating complications such as OME, thus reducing the incidence rate of OME.”

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