Continuous Versus Interrupted Sutures for Primary Cleft Palate Repair

BACKGROUND: Cleft palate is a common congenital problem. It is traditionally surgically repaired with interrupted sutures between the ages of 6 and 18 months, with the aim of achieving closure of both nasal and oral layers. In various fields of surgery, continuous, rather than interrupted, sutures are the norm. There are no reports, however, of continuous suture repair for cleft palate. METHODS: A comparative study was designed at Clapp Hospital Lahore, to compare the effectiveness of 2 techniques. A total of 152 patients were included in the study over a period of 3 years. Per-operatively, the duration of surgery (time for nasal and oral layer closure) and the number of suture materials used were noted and compared between the 2 groups. Postoperatively, we compared the rate of wound dehiscence and fistula formation between the 2 groups. RESULTS: Out of 152 patients, 84 patients were operated on by continuous technique and 68 patients by interrupted technique. The mean duration of nasal layer closure in group A was 7.08 minutes, whereas that in group B was 11.50 minutes. The mean number of sutures required for the continuous suture group was 2.12, whereas that for the interrupted suture group was 4.59 (P < 0.05). There were no differences seen in either of the 2 postoperative outcomes compared in this study. CONCLUSION: A continuous closure technique can be utilized in palate repair, as it us more cost-effective and time-efficient.