Vomer Flap Surgery - Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages and Disadvantages

Few advantages of the vomer flap procedure include the relative simple execution compared to other palatoplasties, amount of surgery time, and similarity between the vomer tissue and the nasal mucosa. A major disadvantage of the vomer flap surgery is the varying size and visibility of the vomer in different patients. If the vomer is not visible or too small to cover the cleft, the procedure cannot be done. Another disadvantage of the use of the vomer flap in the oral cavity is that the vomer tissue does not aesthetically match the oral mucosa. The color and texture of the vomer mucosa matches the nasal mucosa much better than the oral mucosa. Sometimes, patients are displeased and uncomfortable with the visible vomer flap in the oral cavity.