• Nergis Nina Suleiman, Markus M Luedi, Girish Joshi, Geertrui Dewinter, Christopher L Wu, Axel R Sauter, and PROSPECT Working Group.
• Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
• Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2024 Jan 16.

Background/ImportanceCleft 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.ObjectivesThe 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 ReviewMEDLINE, 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.FindingsOf 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.ConclusionThe present review identified an evidence-based analgesic regimen for cleft palate surgery in pediatric patients.Prospero Registration NumberCRD42022364788.© American Society of Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. Published by BMJ.

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