ABSTRACT
To assess the outcome of intravelar veloplasty palatal repair as measured by number of patients requiring secondary velopharyngeal surgery within 10 years of cleft repair. Patients were treated with an intra velar veloplasty by a single operator. Using a marginal incision, the nasal and oral mucosa were dissected from the palatal musculature and the three layers closed separately with the latter realigned with a more normal anatomical relationship. Historically cleft palate repair was primarily aimed at the separation of the oral and nasal cavities and an attempt to lengthen the soft palate, which did not take into account the abnormal muscular anatomy of the soft palate. Failure to accurately correct the anatomy restricts the potential for normal physiological function and can result in poor speech and velopharyngeal incompetence. The use of a microscope allows more radical dissection and retro-positioning of the muscles.
