Objective: This study aimed to understand, in a long-term follow-up study, whether the placement of grommets had been necessary after cleft palate surgical correction.
Method: A case-control, retrospective study was carried out on consecutive paediatric patients who underwent surgical repair of a cleft palate.
Results: The study population included 138 patients, divided into 2 groups: group 1 - patients in whom grommets were placed at the time of cleft palate surgery, and group 2 - patients in whom grommets were not placed at the time of cleft palate surgery. During the follow up, in groups 1 and 2, 65.2 per cent and 67.8 per cent, respectively, did not need subsequent grommet placement after cleft palate surgery.
Conclusion: Of patients, 56.5 per cent did not need ventilation tubes at any point during follow up. The placement of grommets is not innocuous; therefore, its use at the time of cleft palate surgical repair should be reconsidered.
Keywords: Children; Otitis; Palate; Pediatrics; Tympanic Surgery.