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History of Cleft Palate Repair: Regional Influences of Technique Variations

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Surgical Atlas of Cleft Palate and Palatal Fistulae

Abstract

The history of cleft palate repair spans three centuries, influenced by techniques of leading surgeons in various regions. The goals of palatoplasty have progressed beyond simple anatomical closure to prioritize normalizing speech and limiting maxillary hypoplasia. As such, technique variation reflects the goals to reorient the soft palate musculature, lengthen the palate, and minimize the amount of denuded hard palate. This becomes a fine balance in the presence of more severe clefts, resulting in variations of approaches to the amount of tissue available for repair. Substantial debate arose as a result of different surgeons and centers attempting to prioritize different techniques for different reasons. With limitations of long-term data collection and follow-up, variable consensus still exists. This chapter presents the chronological history of cleft palate repair and some of the leading surgeons who influenced modern-day techniques regionally.

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Correspondence to Priyanka Naidu .

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Naidu, P., Van Slyke, A.C., Chong, D.K. (2022). History of Cleft Palate Repair: Regional Influences of Technique Variations. In: Fayyaz, G.Q. (eds) Surgical Atlas of Cleft Palate and Palatal Fistulae. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3889-6_119-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3889-6_119-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-981-15-3889-6

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