Palatal Defects Research Articles

Reverse Pedicle U-Shaped Palatal Flap: An Innovative Technique for Repair of Severe Caudal Palatal Defects in Two Dogs.

An acquired palatal defect in dogs is a pathologic condition in which there is communication between the oral cavity and nasal cavities, maxillary recesses, or orbits. Many different causes exist and must be considered. Two dogs were presented for severe palatal defects secondary to a foreign body trapped between maxillary dental arches. Numerous techniques have been previously described to repair palatal defects, and the most appropriate choice is based on the clinical features of the defect and information obtained from advanced diagnostic imaging. Acquired palatal defects are not predictable in shape, size, and location; therefore, although the literature contains many different surgical techniques, these are not always reliable. The aim of this article is to describe an innovative surgical approach to repair severe acquired caudal palatal defects in two different dogs.

Tongue Flap for Closure of Complex Oronasal Fistula.

Complex oronasal fistula is one of the most frequent secondary complications of cleft palate correction and is considered a reconstructive challenge. Tongue flaps are one of the procedures for the treatment of complex fistulas associated or not with multiple previous procedures, offering a high success rate, few complications, and problems during its development. This study evaluates the efficacy in terms of functionality, esthetic, donor area morbidity and clarifies surgical technique steps. Descriptive cohort study was performed between August 2011 to August 2021 where an anteriorly based dorsal tongue flap was performed in 30 patients with complex palatal fistulas, evaluating outcomes in terms of technique reproducibility and flap viability, correction of oronasal regurgitation, speech, donor site morbidity, complications, and esthetics. The senior author has used this technique with consistent clinical outcomes to improve complex oronasal fistula with minimal complications, with a good success rate in terms of correction of the palatal defect with imperceptible alteration of the lingual donor area. In addition, establishes a specific definition of persistence and recurrence of oronasal fistula. The tongue flap is considered the gold standard in complex oronasal fistula reconstructions with satisfactory outcomes, and it offers an adequate amount of vascularized tissue achieving fistula closure without functional or esthetic impairment of the donor area and is a highly reproducible technique.

Rehabilitation of a Palatal Defect with a Single Piece Obturator: A Case Report

The present case report describes the management of a 5-year-old male child with a palatal defect characterized by a type II cleft, which was managed with prosthetic rehabilitation using a single-piece obturator to reduce food regurgitation and improve speech.

Soft Palate Dysplasia: Properties and Surgical Techniques.

The authors aimed to report a hitherto undescribed class of patients with the obvious phenotype of a novel soft palate dysplasia (SPD) combining unilateral soft palate hypoplasia with a fully developed uvula. The authors also aimed to investigate and evaluate the corresponding surgical approaches. Twelve patients were clinically diagnosed with SPD. Clinical examination, including radiographic tests, was performed to characterize the congenital deformity. The effectiveness of velopharyngeal closure and speech were tested preoperatively and postoperatively. SPD was featured with velopharyngeal insufficiency, food regurgitation, and speech disorders. It was commonly manifested as structural deformities of the soft palate, tongue palatine arch, pharyngeal palatine arch, and pterygomandibular fold, but with complete uvula shape. According to radiographic analysis, in five patients, the lateral pterygoid processes were poorly developed, and other malformations were present. Velopharyngoplasty based on the unilateral posterior pharyngeal flap can well restore the velopharyngeal closure and speech intelligibility without respiration obstruction. SPD is characterized as congenital velopharyngeal insufficiency manifested as a primary soft palate defect. It is highly associated with other physical deformities but independent of conventionally known syndromes. The cause may be an abnormal development of the pterygoid process. Unilateral velopharyngoplasty based on the posterior pharyngeal flap is a great technique to repair SPD. Therapeutic, IV.

Management of mucormycosis coexisting with aspergillosis in pediatric age group – a case report

BackgroundMucormycosis is a highly infectious deadly disease if left untreated. This disease is usually seen more in people having immunocompromised conditions like diabetes mellitus, steroid use, and neutropenia. Its presence along with Aspergillus is quite uncommon in the pediatric age group. This report will add information regarding such coexisting fungal disease in the pediatric age group and its further management.Case reportIn this study, investigators are presenting a case of mucormycosis coexisting with aspergillosis in 3-month-old male child who presented with a palatal defect. He underwent both medical management with liposomal amphotericin B and surgical debridement for necrotic foci removal.ConclusionThis case report deals with the management of coexisting mucormycosis with aspergillosis using a combination of surgical and medical management.

Stem Cell-Based Tissue Engineering for Cleft Defects: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This study aimed to analyze the efficacy of stem cell-based tissue engineering for the treatment of alveolar cleft (AC) and cleft palate (CP) defects in animal models. Systematic review and meta-analysis. Preclinical studies on alveolar cleft repair in maxillofacial practice. Electronic search was performed using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases. Pre-clinical studies, where stem cell-based tissue engineering was used in the reconstruction of AC and CP in animal models were included. Quality of the selected articles was evaluated using SYRCLE (SYstematic Review Centre for Laboratory animal Experimentation). Review of alveolar cleft bone augmentation interventions in preclinical models. Outcome parameters registered were new bone formation (NBF) and/or bone mineral density (BMD). Thirteen large and twelve small animal studies on AC (21) and CP (4) reconstructions were included. Studies had an unclear-to-high risk of bias. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were the most widely used cell source. Meta-analyses for AC indicated non-significant benefits in favor of: (1) scaffold + cells over scaffold-only (NBF P = .13); and (2) scaffold + cells over empty control (NBF P = .66; BMD P = .31). Interestingly, dog studies using regenerative grafts showed similar to superior bone formation compared to autografts. Meta analysis for the CP group was not possible. AC and CP reconstructions are enhanced by addition of osteogenic cells to biomaterials. Directions and estimates of treatment effect are useful to predict therapeutic efficacy and guide future clinical trials of bone tissue engineering.

The role of Botulinum toxin type A for prevention and treatment of cleft lip palate (CLP) post-operative scar: a systematic review

Background. Cleft lip palate (CLP) defects are the common orofacial defects found in newborns. The main treatment is lip and palate surgery, often resulting in a hypertrophic scar that significantly affects the patient's aesthetic appearance. Several studies showed the role of Botulinum toxin type A injections for prevention and treatment of CLP post-operative scarThis systematic review aims to review the role of Botulinum toxin type A for prevention and treatment of cleft lip palate surgery scar. Method. Online databases were searched for relevant studies from Google Scholar, PubMed and ProQuest. Data sources were searched using MeSH terms "botulinum toxin," "cleft lip palate," and "surgery scar" for all publications up to October 2022. All English papers regarding the role of Botulinum toxin type A in preventing and treating CLP post-operative scar were included. Papers not available in full text or English and not an experimental study were excluded. Result. Six studies are included in this systematic review consisting of three randomized controlled trials and three clinical studies. The experimental group received Botulinum toxin type A injections, while the control group received an injection of normal saline or other topical treatment. All of the included studies showed positive results regarding the role of Botulinum toxin type A marked with reduced scar width, good Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), patient satisfaction and no complications or side effects were found. Conclusion. The Botulinum toxin type A showed promising results for the prevention and treatment of CLP post-operative scar.

Development and Comparison of Conventional and 3D-Printed Laboratory Models of Maxillary Defects.

Recording accurate impressions from maxillary defects is a critical and challenging stage in the prosthetic rehabilitation of patients following maxillectomy surgery. The aim of this study was to develop and optimize conventional and 3D-printed laboratory models of maxillary defects and to compare conventional and digital impression techniques using these models. Six different types of maxillary defect models were fabricated. A central palatal defect model was used to compare conventional silicon impressions with digital intra-oral scanning in terms of dimensional accuracy and total time taken to record the defect and produce a laboratory analogue. Digital workflow produced different results than the conventional technique in terms of defect size measurements which were statistically significant (p < 0.05). The time taken to record the arch and the defect using an intra-oral scanner was significantly less compared with the traditional impression method. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the two techniques in terms of the total time taken to fabricate a maxillary central defect model (p > 0.05). The laboratory models of different maxillary defects developed in this study have the potential to be used to compare conventional and digital workflow in prosthetic treatment procedures.

Surgical Treatment of the Cranial Basis Teratoma in a Newborn and Palatal Reconstruction With Tongue Flap a 17-Years Follow-Up: A Case Report

Epignathus or Tessier fissure 0-14 is a rare teratoma composed of the three embryonic germ layers. Clinically, it appears as a mass covered with skin and mucosa, originating from pluripotential stem cells. According to the latest classification by the World Health Organization teratoma represents the main benign Germ cell tumors of the sinus region and presents similar histological aspects with its counterparts in the gonads and other extragonadal sites. The purpose of this study is to present a case of epignathus originating from the base of the skull in a Caucasian female patient with a cleft palate after the incisive foramen, not affecting the nasal floor. During physical examination, via intraoral route, in the region below the base of the skull, an extensive solid mass, covered by mucosa and with the presence of hair. Computed tomography confirmed the lesion, in the region corresponding to the base of the patient’s skull. The first surgical approach of resection occurred at the 40th day of the patient’s life, under general anesthesia and subsequent primary closure of the palatal defect. The second surgery was performed 10 months later, when tissue expanders were used on the palate to increase the mucosal surface. At the age of 5, the patient underwent surgery with a tongue flap, from the lingual dorsum, with an anterior pedicle. The patient was kept under sedation and relaxation for a period of 10 days for flap autonomy. After this period, the section of the flap and the reconstruction of the tongue dorsum were performed. The patient had a good evolution and was maintained under outpatient treatment. Pediatricians and pediatric dentists should be aware of the importance of prenatal exams and soon after birth, to identify possible deformities in neonatal patients, which favors the diagnosis. The 17-year postoperative follow-up of complete surgical removal of the teratoma and reconstruction of the cleft palate, combining the use of a tissue expander on the palate and a flap on the dorsum of the tongue, proved to be a viable resource for improving the patient’s quality of life.

Surgical closure of cleft palate defects in dogs using a modification of the traditional von Langenbeck technique: 12 cases (2015-2022).

To describe the author's surgical guidelines for the effective use of a modified von Langenbeck technique, utilizing bilateral bipedicle mucoperiosteal flaps in the dog. 12 client-owned dogs with cleft palate defects of the hard and soft palates. 12 dogs with cleft palate were presented to the Angell Animal Medical Center from May 20, 2015, to March 24, 2022. The patient's ages ranged from 5 months to 3 years. All 12 dogs had closure of the hard palate clefts by use of modifications of the original von Langenbeck technique in this prospective study. Successful closure of the cleft (hard and soft) palate defects was achieved in all 12 dogs in a single surgical procedure. A small residual opening was noted at the level of the incisive papilla in each dog; this was of no clinical consequence in this report. The von Langenbeck technique, using the simple closure modifications reported, was effective in closing both narrow and wide defects. Successful execution requires the complete elevation of each flap, which facilitates their tension-free advancement over the palatal cleft. Vertical mattress sutures evert the flap margins, allowing for direct collagen surface contact for proper healing. Placement of sutures in the rugal folds increases the tissue purchase to reduce the risk of suture cut-out. Fine interrupted sutures, placed between the vertical mattress sutures, maintains the proper alignment of the incisional margins. The author waits a minimum of 5 months before closing cleft palate defects, enabling the donor areas time to mature and improving their ability to retain sutures more effectively.

Retention and Quality of life of Different manufacturing techniques of palatal obturator for acquired palatal defect in treatment of post COVID-19 Associated Mucormycosis (CAM)

Retention and Quality of life of Different manufacturing techniques of palatal obturator for acquired palatal defect in treatment of post COVID-19 Associated Mucormycosis (CAM)

Free Flap Reconstruction of Recalcitrant Defects in Cleft Palate Patients.

Defects of the palate can be as a result of oronasal fistula of cleft patients and the ablative surgery of tumors. There are many studies about reconstruction of the defects of plate in the literature and most of them are related to tumor surgery. Despite the use of free flaps in cleft patients being not a new approach, the articles in the literature are very few. The authors describe the experience of oronasal fistula reconstructions with free flaps with a new modification of tensionless inset of the free flap's pedicle. Between 2019 and 2022, 2 males and 1 female, 3 consecutive cleft patients underwent free flap surgery because of recalcitrant palatal defects. One patient had 5 and each of remain had 3 unsuccessful reconstructive attempts previously. The age of patients was ranged from 20 to 23 years old. Radial forearm flap was the option of oral lining reconstruction for all patients. In 2 patients, the flap was modified as a skin tail was linked to the flap for covering the pedicle as tensionless closure. There was a mucosal swelling in first patient who underwent classical pedicle inset as mucosal tunneling. In 1 patient there was a spontaneous bleeding from the anterior side of the flap and it stopped without medical interventions, spontaneously. There was no additional complication. All flaps survived without anastomosis problems. Incision of the mucosa rather than tunneling provides good surgical exposure and bleeding control and modified flap design may be beneficial and reliable for tensionless pedicle inset and covering.

Folded Radial Forearm Free Flap for the Reconstruction of Total Soft Palate Defects: Operative Technique.

Three patients affected by squamous cell carcinoma of the palate underwent resection of the soft palate and immediate reconstruction with a folded radial forearm free flap. All three patients showed good short-term morphological-functional outcomes as far as swallowing, breathing, and phonation were concerned. The folded radial forearm free flap seems to be an efficacious way to manage localized defects of the soft palate, given the positive outcomes of the three patients treated, and in accordance with other authors. In general, the radial forearm free flap was confirmed to be a versatile solution for those intraoral defects of the soft tissue requiring a limited quantity of volume as in the case of the soft palate.

A Review of the Use of Buccal Fat Pad in Cleft Palate Repair.

To review the available evidence on the use of the Buccal Fat Pad in primary and secondary Cleft Palate repair. This is a narrative review. A computerized literature search was conducted for articles published till February 2022 using the Mesh phrases buccal fat pad AND cleft palate, Bichat's Fat pad AND cleft palate, buccal fat pad OR Bichats Fat pad AND cleft palate. A total of 35 articles were included in this review based on the set eligibility criteria. Most of the studies were retrospective case reviews (n = 16, 45.7%), and the aggregate number of patients from all included studies was 666. Reported uses of the buccal fat pad (BFP) in association with cleft palate repair include the closure of central cleft palate defect and nasal floor in primary cleft palate repair, oronasal fistula repair following primary repair of cleft palate, and closure of relieving incision defect in primary repair of cleft palate. Complications reported were 24 cases of Oronasal Fistula (ONF), 2 dehiscences, and 4 transient mucosal defects. The high success rate, vascularity, ease of tissue harvest, and low donor site morbidity all support its use as an adjunct flap in cleft palate repair, especially in the closure of wide palatal clefts, to prevent post-palatal repair fistula, wound contracture, and subsequently velopharyngeal insufficiency and possibly midface hypoplasia.

Pronator quadratus musculo-osseous free flap for wide hard palatal defect reconstruction: An anatomical study

Wide hard palate defects include congenital and acquired defects that are six square centimeters or larger in size. Obturator prostheses and autologous soft tissue transfers have been used to reconstruct palatal defects. This study aims to repair wide, hard palatal defects by using a pronator quadratus musculo-osseous free flap to achieve subtotal reconstruction. Seventeen formalin-fixed cadavers were dissected. Free musculo-osseous pronator quadratus flaps were prepared after a 12 cm curvilinear volar skin incision. Standard 30 × 23 mm (690 ± 52.12 mm2) hard palate defects were made by chisels and saws. A subcutaneous tunnel was created between the mandibular edge cross point of the facial vessels and the retromolar trigone through the subcutaneous to the superficial musculoaponeurotic system by dissection. Area measurements of the pedicle and palate defects were performed by the ImageJ program (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA) on drawings over an acetate layer of materials. Mandibular distances of gonion-facial vessel cross point (a), gonion-gnathion (m), and facial vessels’ cross point-retromolar entrance point (h) were measured. Ratios of h/m and a/m were calculated. The mean pronator quadratus area was 2349.39 ± 444.05 mm2, and the arterial pedicle pronator quadratus diameter was 2.32 ± 0.34 mm. The mean pedicle length of the pronator quadratus was 117.13 ± 8.10 mm. Study results showed that musculo-osseous pronator quadratus flaps’ bone and muscle parts perfectly fit on the defects in all cadavers. Pronator quadratus musculo-osseous flap is a feasible surgical option for wide, hard palatal defect reconstruction strategies.

Insights into the perinatal phenotype of Kabuki syndrome in infants identified by genome-wide sequencing.

Increasing use of unbiased genomic sequencing in critically ill infants can expand understanding of rare diseases such as Kabuki syndrome (KS). Infants diagnosed with KS through genome-wide sequencing performed during the initial hospitalization underwent retrospective review of medical records. Human phenotype ontology terms used in genomic analysis were aggregated and analyzed. Clinicians were surveyed regarding changes in management and other care changes. Fifteen infants met inclusion criteria. KS was not suspected prior to genomic sequencing. Variants were classified as Pathogenic (n=10) or Likely Pathogenic (n=5) by American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics Guidelines. Fourteen variants were de novo (KMT2D, n=12, KDM6A, n=2). One infant inherited a likely pathogenic variant in KMT2D from an affected father. Frequent findings involved cardiovascular (14/15) and renal (7/15) systems, with palatal defects also identified (6/15). Three infants had non-immune hydrops. No minor anomalies were universally documented; ear anomalies, micrognathia, redundant nuchal skin, and hypoplastic nails were common. Changes in management were reported in 14 infants. Early use of unbiased genome-wide sequencing enabled a molecular diagnosis prior to clinical recognition including infants with atypical or rarely reported features of KS while also expanding the phenotypic spectrum of this rare disorder.

History of the palatal obturator

Palatal obturators were mechanical devices designed to cover palatal birth defects.

Hollowing of Obturators for Post-Mucormycosis Maxillary Defects: Technique Based Case Series

Post COVID-19 extensive use of steroids led to mucormycosis induced invasive sinusitis in many patients. Location and extent of the fungal infection decides the amount of maxillectomy to be performed. Post surgical rehabilitation with an obturator is required to restore function of mastication deglutition and speech. Large size of the defect and missing teeth on defect side compromise the retention of obturator and at the same time make them heavy and uncomfortable. This case series describes prosthodontic management of four casestwo partially and two completely edentulous patients operated for mucormycosis with healed palatal defects unilaterally with chief complains of inability to speak and eat. All the defects were treated with a hollow maxillary obturator prosthesis fabricated using different designs and hollowing techniques. All the patients were treated with single piece definitive hollow obturator prosthesis using different fabrication techniques aimed at reducing the weight and thus enhancing patient comfort and function. A single-piece obturator prostheses reduce the chances of plaque or bacterial accumulation to a minimal amount. This helps in maintenance of better hygiene by the patient as compared to a two-piece obturator prosthesis.

Prosthetic Rehabilitation of Completely Edentulous Unrepaired Cleft Palate Patient with Implant Supported Hader Bar and Clips: A Case Report

Prosthetic rehabilitation of an edentulous cleft lip and palate patient with a combined hard and soft palate defect is a great challenge, due to the lack of retention of the obturator prosthesis as a result of its weight and the inability to obtain a border seal. Dental implants improve the retention, stability, and occlusal function of prostheses when used in carefully selected cleft lip and palate cases. This clinical report presents an edentulous unilateral cleft lip and palate patient who has hard and soft palate defects and an atrophied maxilla, treated with an implant-supported speech-aid prosthesis Prosthetic rehabilitation of an edentulous cleft lip and palate patient with a combined hard and soft palate defect is a great challenge, due to the lack of retention of the obturator prosthesis as a result of its weight and the inability to obtain a border seal. Dental implants improve the retention, stability, and occlusal function of prostheses when used in carefully selected cleft lip and palate cases. The prosthetic rehabilitation of edentulous patient with unrepaired cleft palate poses a great challenge due to both hard and soft tissue defect compromising retention, support and stability of the obturator due to inability to obtain border seal and heavy weight. In carefully selected patient use of osseointegrated implant along with the bars and clips supporting and retaining maxillary overdentures on implants play a significant role in their efficacy. This clinical report presents an edentulous unilateral cleft palate patient treated with an implant-supported Hader bar and clips.

Management of Palatal Defects after Free-Flap Reconstruction and Radiotherapy.

Palatal fistulas have significant effects on quality of life. Traditional prosthetic rehabilitation and surgical reconstruction of palate defects in radiation-naïve tissues are well described. However, palatal fistulas developing after initial tumor extirpation, free-flap reconstruction, and adjuvant radiation or chemoradiation are associated with challenging secondary tissue effects. In this review, we will discuss the management of palatal fistulas after surgical reconstruction and radiotherapy.