Oronasal fistulae in repaired cleft palates.

The study reviews oronasal fistulae occurring after palatoplasty. Subjects were fifty-two patients who had received palatoplasty in our clinic from 1981 to 1987. In twenty-one cases (40%) oronasal fistulae persisted. Two-thirds of these fistulae were slits or pinholes. The ratio of fistula occurrence was relatively high compared to other reports. Most of them were observed at the junction of the premaxilla and maxilla. There was no significant difference between fistula formation and the distance of the push back, and also there was no correlation with the width of the cleft.