Comparison of the Furlow double-opposing Z-palatoplasty with the Wardill-Kilner procedure for isolated clefts of the soft palate

This retrospective investigation compared the operative experience speech results of 21 patients who underwent a Furlow double-opposing Z-palatoplasty with those of 10 patients who underwent a modified Wardill-Kilner procedure. The modification consisted of not incising the nasal mucosa. All patients presented with an isolated cleft of the soft palate and were operated on by a single surgeon. The choice of operative technique was based solely on the fact that the surgeon developed an increasing preference for the Furlow procedure over time. The mean age at surgery was 1.3 and 1.5 years for the Furlow group and the Wardill-Kilner group, respectively. The average postoperative follow-up was 2.5 and 3.1 years, respectively. The mean operative times and hospital stay were the same for both groups. Postoperative speech assessments involved equal-appearing interval scale ratings of hypernasality and nasal emission, as well as pressure-flow testing and perceptual judgments of overall velopharyngeal adequacy. Analysis failed to reveal any statistically or clinically significant differences between the two groups.