Perioperative pain management for cleft palate surgery: a systematic review and procedure-specific postoperative pain management (PROSPECT) recommendations.

BACKGROUND/IMPORTANCE: Cleft palate surgery is associated with significant postoperative pain. Effective pain control can decrease stress and agitation in children undergoing cleft palate surgery and improve surgical outcomes. However, limited evidence often results in inadequate pain control after cleft palate surgery. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this review was to evaluate the available evidence and to develop recommendations for optimal pain management after cleft palate surgery using procedure-specific postoperative pain management (PROSPECT) methodology. EVIDENCE REVIEW: MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Databases were searched for randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews assessing pain in children undergoing cleft palate repair published in English language from July 2002, through August 2023. FINDINGS: Of 1048 identified studies, 19 randomized controlled trials and 4 systematic reviews met the inclusion criteria. Interventions that improved postoperative pain, and are recommended, include suprazygomatic maxillary nerve block or palatal nerve block (if maxillary nerve block cannot be performed). Addition of dexmedetomidine to local anesthetic for suprazygomatic maxillary nerve block or, alternatively, as intravenous administration perioperatively is recommended. These interventions should be combined with a basic analgesic regimen including acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Of note, pre-incisional local anesthetic infiltration and dexamethasone were administered as a routine in several studies, however, because of limited procedure-specific evidence their contribution to pain relief after cleft palate surgery remains unknown. CONCLUSION: The present review identified an evidence-based analgesic regimen for cleft palate surgery in pediatric patients. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022364788.

Extensive Abdominal Wall Incisional Heterotopic Ossification Reconstructed with Component Separation and Strattice Inlay.

Symptomatic heterotopic ossification of abdominal surgical incisions is a rare occurrence. We present a 67-year-old man with severe discomfort caused by heterotopic ossification extending from the xiphoid to the umbilicus. The patient underwent an abdominal aortic aneurysm repair 3 years before our treatment. A 13 × 3.5 cm ossified lesion was excised. The resulting midline defect was closed using component separation and inlay Strattice. Tension-free midline adaptation of the recti muscles was achieved. A computed tomography scan of the abdomen 6 months after the surgery showed no recurrence or hernias. Heterotopic ossification in symptomatic patients has previously been treated with excision and primary closure. We believe that tension-free repair is important to prevent recurrence. Acellular dermal matrix may add to this effect and also compartmentalize the process.