What Is Palatoplasty (Cleft Palate Repair)?
Palatoplasty is the surgical repair of a cleft palate. Here is what parents should know about the procedure.
Palatoplasty is the surgical procedure used to close an opening in the palate (roof of the mouth). It restores the separation between the mouth and the nasal cavity.
- What the surgery does:
- Closes the opening in the hard and/or soft palate
- Repositions the muscles of the soft palate for normal speech
- Creates a functional seal between the mouth and nose
- Allows for normal feeding and swallowing
Common surgical techniques:
- Von Langenbeck palatoplasty:
- Used for narrow clefts
- The edges of the cleft are freshened and closed
- The palate tissue is mobilized from the underlying bone
- V-Y pushback (Veau-Wardill-Kilner):
- Lengthens the soft palate
- Helps achieve velopharyngeal competence
- Used for wider clefts
- Furlow double-opposing Z-plasty:
- Repositions the palatal muscles
- Lengthens the soft palate
- Excellent speech outcomes
- Commonly used for submucous cleft palate
- Bardach two-flap palatoplasty:
- Large flaps of tissue are raised from the hard palate
- The entire cleft is closed
- Good for wide clefts
- What to expect:
- Surgery takes 2β4 hours
- Hospital stay: 1β3 days
- Soft or liquid diet for 2β4 weeks
- Arm restraints to prevent mouth touching
Recovery
- Swelling peaks at day 2β3
- Pain is well managed with medication
- Diet restrictions: liquids and soft foods only
- No straws or hard foods for 4 weeks
Clinical Guidance
Palatoplasty repairs a cleft palate by closing the opening and repositioning the muscles for normal speech. It is performed at 9β12 months and has excellent outcomes. Different surgical techniques are chosen based on the type and width of the cleft.