Cleft palate repair by Furlow double-reversing Z-plasty: first speech results at the age of 6 years.

The authors evaluated the first 15 six-year-old children operated on for cleft palate using double-reversing Z-plasty. Examination by a surgeon did not reveal a higher morbidity as a results of the new surgical method. Examination by a phoniatrist provided evidence of marked improvement of speech functions as compared with the previous von Langenbeck method. The results are preliminary, based on a small group of patients.