A 5-Year Retrospective Review of Primary Palatoplasty Cases Utilizing an Acellular Collagen Interpositional Graft.

PURPOSE: Multiple palatoplasty techniques have been developed, but a technique involving a partial 2-layer soft tissue closure of the posterior hard palate and nasal floor and a 3-layer soft tissue closure of the soft palate with reorientation of the levator and tensor veli muscles across the midline has been the gold standard for cleft repair. This report describes a series of primary palatoplasties reconstructed with a middle layer of acellular collagen membrane that aided in maintaining closure between the oral and nasal cavities without the development of an oronasal fistula.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: An acellular collagen membrane was placed between the muscular layer and the oral mucosa during primary palatoplasty. Six patients with primary cleft palatoplasty were identified and followed for 1 year (patient 1, a 10-month-old boy; patient 2, a 12-month-old girl; patient 3, a 12-month-old girl; patient 4, a 6-year-old boy; patient 5, a 12-month-old girl; and patient 6, an 18-month-old girl).

RESULTS: At 1 year, no oronasal fistulas had developed where augmentation with the acellular collagen membrane was used.

CONCLUSIONS: The use of an acellular collagen graft to aid in the 3-layer closure of primary palatoplasty surgery is a very effective strategy in primary and secondary healing and in preventing oronasal fistulation. The risk associated with the use of acellular collagen membranes appears nonexistent.