Influence of Surgical Technique and Surgical Skill on Outcomes of Cleft Palate Repair
Fistula incidence following cleft palate repair was significantly lower when using the Furlow DOZ technique, compared with the straight-line/IVVP technique. The effect of surgical technique was smaller, however, than the variation observed between the top and bottom quartiles of surgeons. These findings suggest that changing surgical technique may lead to small changes in fistula incidence, but greater opportunities exist to improve outcomes by improving surgical skill.
Authors
- Jessica L. Chee-Williams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2882-7275)
- Thomas J. Sitzman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2173-923X)
- Richard E. Kirschner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3631-1383)
- Mary Hardin-Jones (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1408-7023)
- Adriane L. Baylis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4148-4729)
- M’hamed Temkit (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0321-7438)
- Sarah Hatch Pollard
- Kathy Chapman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1236-9185)
Institutions
- University of Wyoming (US)
- Nationwide Children's Hospital (US)
- University of Arizona (US)
- University of Utah (US)
- Wyoming Department of Education (US)
- Phoenix Children's Hospital (US)
- Mayo Clinic in Arizona (US)
- The Ohio State University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
- Published
- 2025-09-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1097/prs.0000000000012422
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Cleft Lip and Palate Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.82