Objective: To evaluate the intermediate and longer-term perceptual and objective speech outcomes in velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) patients treated with a superiorly based pharyngeal flap.
Design: Retrospective review.
Setting: Tertiary care centre, London, Ontario.
Methods: Forty consecutive VPI patients (mean age 14.5 years) from 2004 to 2008 who had a first time superiorly based pharyngeal flap were included. The modified Hogan flap and lateral port control technique was used with a 70° endoscope to provide intraoperative coaxial and magnified lateral port visualization.
Main outcome measures: The American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA) perceptual speech assessment and nasalance measured via nasometry using the MacKay-Kummer Simplified Nasometric Assessment Procedures Revised (SNAP-R). A comparison of mean outcomes from the pretreatment versus an intermediate (ACPA 4.3 months; SNAP-R 4.0 months) and longer-term (ACPA 19.5 months) posttreatment time point was performed, and the distribution of successful outcomes was assessed.
Results: Mean perceptual scores improved significantly early after surgery (p < .0001; n = 33) and in the longer term (p < .01; n = 21), with high success rates for hypernasality (87.9% and 80.9%; p < .0001), audible nasal emission (90.9% and 90.5%; p < .0001), overall intelligibility (75.7% and 81.0%; p < .01), and compensatory articulation (81.8% and 85.7%; p < .01). Likewise, significant improvements were observed in posttreatment nasal (n = 38; p < .01) and mean oral SNAP-R scores (n = 39; p < .001), which demonstrated success rates of 100% (p < .0001) and 73% (p < .0001), respectively. Overcorrection was not observed in perceptual and nasometric testing.
Conclusion: The modified Hogan flap and lateral port control technique with the use of a 70° endoscope is highly successful in treating VPI. These results indicate that speech outcome improvement occurs early after surgery and is maintained over time.