Hiba Obad Saleh, Kadry Mohammed Nasr, Ayman Hussien Abdull Sattar And Khaled Amr,

ABSTRACT
Objective: To Examine Whether There Is A Relation Between The Palatal Index And The Incidence Of Postoperative Fistula In Patients With Complete Unilateral Cleft Palate.

Materials & Methods: Thirty Patients With Complete Unilateral Cleft Palate Were Included In This Study. Preoperative Predicator Variables Were Categorized As Demographic, Anatomic And Operative Variables. Evaluation Of These Variables Was Done Through A Personal Data, Medical And Surgical History, Family History And Type Of Cleft. After Detailed Clinical Evaluation, Every Patient Underwent Routine Preoperative Laboratory Tests. The Palatal Index Was Obtained Preoperatively With The Patient Under General Anesthesia Using A Caliper And Registered In A Format. Postoperatively Each Patient Was Followed Up At 3 Weeks, 3months, 6 Months And 9 Months For Fistula Development.

Results: Results Showed That There Was Association Between Palatal Index And Presence Of Fistula In Patients With Complete Unilateral Cleft Palate In Which Cases Recorded Mild Index Didn?t Develop Fistula While Cases Recorded Moderate And Sever Index Developed Fistula. Conclusion: Palatal Index Was A Good Predicator Of Fistula Formation. It Was A System Designed To Estimate The Secondary Palatal Deformity By Considering The Cleft Width And The Tissue Deficiency (width Of The Palatal Segments), So This Gave The Surgeon Information About The Amount Of Soft Tissue Available For Palatal Flaps And Its Relation To The Width Of The Cleft To Be Repaired.