Combined repair of lip and palate with pharyngoplasty for late presenting clefts

A combined lip and palatal repair with an Orticochea sphincter repair was done in nine patients presenting to our cleft team in Nepal and Tibet for the first time after the age of 8 years. This retrospective study assessed the procedure using the outcome measurements of operative morbidity and postoperative nasality and intelligibility of speech. The total median postoperative hospital stay was 2 days (range 1-4). There were no intraoperative or in-hospital complications. One patient developed a small fistula. Speech results were available in only four of the patients. Nasality was mild in two, moderate in one, with mixed hypernasality and hyponasality in one patient. Intelligibility was very good in one, fair in two, and poor in one. Combined lip and palatal repair with pharyngoplasty is a safe procedure in patients over the age of 8. Speech outcomes in those who came for follow-up were satisfactory.