A speech nasoendoscopy-based surgeon’s decision for correction of velopharyngeal insufficiency following adenotonsillectomy

Abstract

Both sphincter pharyngoplasty (SP) and pharyngeal flap (PF) procedures have gained popularity among surgeons as effective surgical management for velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI). Different centers prefer either SP or PF and have published their results to support this preference. But is one technique superior to the other? To answer this question, we have adopted the concept of differential therapeutic management, based on detailed assessment of velopharyngeal function. According to this assessment either SP or PF was performed for management of VPI (secondary to adenotonsillectomy). The aim of this work is to evaluate and compare the surgical results after SP and PF (based on the preoperative nasoendoscopy and phoniatrics' evaluation). This study was conducted on 31 patients with persistent hypernasality after adenotonsillectomy. All patients were subjected to perceptual speech evaluation and nasoendoscopic examination. According to this evaluation and data analysis, 18 patients were operated by SP and 13 patients underwent PF. Statistically, highly significant improvements were found when comparing pre- versus postoperative perceptual speech evaluation following both SP and PF (P < 0.001). When comparing the postoperative perceptual speech evaluation following both techniques, statistically non-significant differences were reported (P > 0.05). Preoperative differential diagnosis of VPI using perceptual speech assessment and nasoendoscopy of the velopharynx allows for tailored surgical management with either SP or PF. Both SP and PF procedures could yield good surgical outcomes, when patients are properly selected and the technique is chosen according to preoperative assessment.