Palatal fistulas after primary repair of clefts of the secondary palate.

Our aim was to assess whether severity of cleft, age at the time of repair, and the operating surgeon's experience contributed to the development of fistulas in patients with clefts of the secondary palate. We studied 814 children born between 1960 and 1999 with clefts of the secondary palate who had had their primary operation at the Department of Plastic Surgery, Rikshospitalet University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. Data were collected retrospectively from the archives of the Oslo Cleft Team. Palatal fistulas developed in 36 patients (4%), among whom 17 patients required correction (2% of the total). The incidence of fistulas was not related to sex. Patients with clefts of the hard and soft palate developed fistulas more often than patients with clefts of the soft palate only (8% compared with 1%, p<0.001). Patients with submucous cleft palates developed fistulas significantly more often than patients with clefts of the soft palate only (5% compared with 1%, p=0.02). Among patients with clefts of the hard and soft palate, the incidence of fistulas increased significantly with increasing age at the time of palatal closure (p=0.005). The incidence decreased significantly the more experienced the operating surgeon was for treating clefts of the hard and soft palate (p<0.001) but not for submucous clefts. Among patients with clefts of the hard and soft palate who had the palate closed at 14 months of age or later, the incidence of fistulas decreased from 21% when the operating surgeon had little experience to 0 when the surgeon had much experience. The incidence of fistulas was related to severity of cleft, age at palatal closure, and the operating surgeon's experience.