Dr. Clarissa Gonzales
Clinical Fellow
Topic
Current Concept in Cleft Surgery
Chapter 14: Comprehensive Appraisal of Outcome in Cleft Palate Repair
This chapter comprehensively reviews the outcomes of cleft palate repair, emphasizing that successful treatment should be evaluated beyond speech and maxillary growth alone. It discusses perioperative complications, oronasal fistula, velopharyngeal insufficiency, maxillary growth, middle ear function, airway outcomes, and overall burden of care. The authors highlight that surgical timing, operative technique, surgeon experience, and multidisciplinary care all significantly influence functional outcomes and the need for secondary procedures.