Abstract:Objective To explore the effect of Furlow palatoplasty on velopharyngeal closure and speech outcome in patients with cleft palate after surgery.Methods A total of 78 patients with cleft palate admitted to our hospital from January 2018 to January 2021 were selected and randomly divided into the study group and the control group. The control group was treated with the two-flap palatoplasty, and the study group was treated with Furlow palatoplasty. The operative duration, intraoperative blood loss, the differences of the total palatal length, the soft palate length, the depth of the pharyngeal cavity, and the width of the palatopharyngeal arch before and after the operation, velopharyngeal closure and speech intelligibility 3 months after the operation, and the incidence of palatal fistula were compared between the two groups of patients.Results The operative duration of the study group was shorter than that of the control group (P < 0.05), and the blood loss during operation was lower in the study group than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The differences of total palatal length, soft palate length, the depth of pharyngeal cavity, and the width of the palatopharyngeal arch before and after the operation in the study group were greater than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The rate of complete velopharyngeal closure in the study group was higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05), and the speech intelligibility of the study group was better compared with the control group (P < 0.05). There was no difference in the incidence of palatal fistula between the two groups (P < 0.05).Conclusions Furlow palatoplasty can not only shorten the operative duration and reduce intraoperative blood loss, but also restore the anatomy for complete velopharyngeal closure, thus improving the velopharyngeal closure and speech outcome in patients with cleft palate.