Early rehabilitation of children with cleft palate.

A clinical and experimental study showed the negative effect of cleft lip and palate on the growth and development of the maxilla, as well as on the morphological and functional conditions of the small intestine, which resulted in impaired digestive function and malabsorption and led to atrophy of the hyper-regenerative type. Based on these facts, the authors developed a method of atraumatic surgery for soft palate with oesophageal orifice narrowing. The technique was applied in 72 children of tender age, out of whom 27 had their defect eliminated solely by means of soft palate surgery without involving the hard palate tissue.