%0 Journal Article
%T Comparative study on cleft palate morphology after passive presurgical plate therapy in unilateral cleft lip and palate.
%A Benitez BK
%A Brudnicki A
%A Tache A
%A Wieprzowski Ł
%A Surowiec Z
%A Nalabothu P
%A Lill Y
%A Mueller AA
%J J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg
%V 92
%N 0
%D 2024 May 7
%M 38547553
%F 3.022
%R 10.1016/j.bjps.2024.03.001
%X <B>BACKGROUND: </B>Presurgical plate therapy has been widely accepted as a treatment prior to palatal cleft closure. The effects of passive presurgical plate therapy on cleft morphology prior to single-stage unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) repair were quantified.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>We compared the dimensions of cleft width and cleft area (true cleft and palatal cleft) measured preoperatively at 2 European cleft centers. Center A performed single-stage UCLP repair in 8-month-old infants without any presurgical orthopedic treatment. Center B initiated passive presurgical plate therapy immediately after the birth of the neonates, followed by single-stage UCLP repair at 8 months of age.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>We included 28 patients with complete UCLP from Center A and 12 patients from Center B. The average anterior width of the true cleft before surgery was significantly smaller in infants at Center B than that in Center A (p = 0.001) with 95% confidence interval of (1.8, 5.7) mm, but the average posterior width was similar in the 2 groups. The mean presurgical true cleft area amounted to 106.8 mm2 (SD = 42.4 mm2) at Center A and 71.9 mm2 (SD = 32.2 mm2) at Center B, with a confidence interval for the difference being (9.8, 60.1) mm2. This corresponded to a 32.7% reduction of the true cleft area when passive presurgical plate therapy was used for the first 8 months of the infants' life.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>Passive presurgical plate therapy in UCLP significantly reduced the cleft area. Implications for the subsequent surgical outcome might depend on the surgical technique used.