The modified Honig velopharyngoplasty - a new technique to treat hypernasality by palatal lengthening

Speech correcting surgery after primary palatoplasty: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

In cleft palate patients, the soft palate is commonly closed using straight-line palatoplasty, Z-palatoplasty, or palatoplasty with buccal flaps. Currently, it is unknown which surgical technique is superior regarding speech outcomes. The aim of this review is to study the incidence of speech correcting surgery (SCS) per soft palatoplasty technique and to identify variables which are associated with this outcome.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A systematic literature search was carried out according to the PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to focus on the incidence of SCS after soft palatoplasty. Additional variables like surgical modification, cleft morphology, syndrome, age at palatoplasty, fistula and assessment of velopharyngeal function were reported. A modified New-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used for quality appraisal. Pooled estimates from the meta-analysis were calculated using a random-effects model.

RESULTS

One thousand twenty-nine studies were found of which 54 were included in the analysis. The pooled estimate proportion of SCS after straight-line palatoplasty was 19% (95% CI 15-24), after Z-palatoplasty 6% (95% CI 4-9), and after palatoplasty with buccal flaps 7% (95% CI 4-11).

CONCLUSIONS

A lower SCS rate was found in patients receiving Z-palatoplasty when compared to straight-line palatoplasty. We propose a minimum set of outcome parameters which ideally should be included in future studies regarding speech outcomes after cleft palate repair.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Current literature reports highly heterogenous data regarding cleft palate repair. Our recommended set of parameters may address this inconsistency and could make intercenter comparison possible and of better quality.

The study on the morphological changes of oropharynx in patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate after palatopharyngeal closure

Cleft lip and palate can be treated as one of the most common craniofacial congenital malformations in humans. Such disease influences tens of millions of patients all over the world. Cleft lip and palate deformity affects many important physiological functions, including breathing, swallowing, speech, chewing, and aesthetics. This work focuses on investigating the morphology and airway volume of oropharynx patients with unilateral complete cleft lip and palate after palatopharyngeal closure. In addition, this work evaluated the similarities and differences between patients with cleft lip and palate and those without such an issue. The employed data, selected from the Department of Stomatology of Xuzhou First People's Hospital, are based on the conical beam CT images. The study sample was divided into two groups: the selected experimental group, who confronted the cleft lip, cleft palate, and velopharyngeal closure surgery, and the selected control group, who are healthy children at the corresponding age. The parameters, including the airway volume, the airway volume of velopharyngeal and oropharyngeal segments, the minimum cross-sectional area of the pharynx, the horizontal plane airway area of the hard palate and soft one, the horizontal airway area of the hyoid bone, and the vertical distance between the hard palate and soft palate, can be measured by Dolphin. These parameters were analyzed with a statistical approach. The analysis of the above-mentioned parameters reveals that the airway volume, the minimum cross-sectional area of the pharynx, the horizontal cross-sectional area of the hyoid, and the distance between the hard palate and soft palate tip in patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate show significant differences between the experimental group and the control group. Meanwhile, other parameters, including the horizontal cross-sectional area of the airway in the horizontal plane of the hard palate and the horizontal plane of the soft palate, did not show noticeable differences in the two groups. The patients, who confronted the unilateral complete cleft lip and palate, can improve with the velopharyngeal closure surgery. Furthermore, the length and vertical distance of the soft palate and the volume of each segment of the airway exhibit differences between the experimental group and the control group.

Assessment of the New L Pharyngeal Flap for Velopharyngeal Insufficiency

OBJECTIVE

To assess the results of the new L pharyngeal flap for treatment of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI).

METHODS

This study included 60 patients who were diagnosed as persistent VPI (for > 1 year without response to speech therapy for 6 months at least). L-shaped superiorly based pharyngeal flap was tailored from oropharynx and inserted into the soft palate through a transverse full-thickness palatal incision 1 cm from the hard palate, then the distal horizontal part of the flap was spread 1 cm anteroposterior direction and 1 cm horizontally into the soft palate. Prior to and after surgery, patients were assessed by oral examination, video nasoendoscopy, and speech evaluation.

RESULTS

Postoperative speech assessment showed significant improvement in nasoendoscopic closure, speech assessment, and nasometric assessments. Grade 4 velopharyngeal valve closure (complete closure) could be achieved in 59 (98.3%) patients at 6 months postoperatively. No patients showed dehiscence (partial or total) of the flap and no obstructive sleep apnea was reported.

CONCLUSION

The newly designed L pharyngeal flap was proved to be highly effective, reliable, and safe in treating patients with persistent VPI with easy applicability and without significant complication.

The use of throat packs in pediatric cleft lip/palate surgery: a retrospective study

OBJECTIVES

Throat packs are commonly used to prevent ingestion or aspiration of blood and other debris during cleft lip/palate surgery. However, dislodgement or (partial) retainment after extubation could have serious consequences. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of omitting pharyngeal packing during cleft lip/palate surgery on the incidence of early postoperative complications in children.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective study was performed on all children who underwent cleft lip/palate surgery at the Wilhelmina Children's Hospital. This study compared the period January 2010 through December 2012 when pharyngeal packing was applied according to local protocol (group A) with the period January 2013 till December 2015 when pharyngeal packing was no longer applied after removal from the protocol (group B). Data were collected for sex, age at operation, cleft lip/palate type, type of repair, lateral incisions, length of hospital stay, and complications in the first 6 weeks after surgery. Early complications included wound dehiscence, postoperative bleeding, infection, fever, upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), and lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI).

RESULTS

This study included 489 cleft lip/palate operations (group A n = 246, group B n = 243). A total of 39 (15.9%) early complications were recorded in group A and a total of 40 (16.5%) in group B. There were no significant differences (P = 0.902) in complications between the two groups; however, there was a significant difference (P < 0.001) in length of hospital stay between the two groups (group A 3.6 days vs group B 3.2 days).

CONCLUSION

Omitting routine placement of throat packs in cleft lip/palate surgery was not associated with an increased early postoperative complication rate. Therefore, the traditional, routine placement of a throat pack during cleft lip/palate surgery can be questioned.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

The traditional, routine placement of a throat pack during cleft lip/palate surgery can be questioned.

Long-term mid-facial growth of patients with a unilateral complete cleft of lip, alveolus and palate treated by two-stage palatoplasty: cephalometric analysis

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study is to evaluate long-term facial growth in adults previously treated for an isolated unilateral complete cleft lip, alveolus and palate by two-stage palatoplasty.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) patients of 17 years and older treated by two-stage palatoplasty were invited for long-term follow-up. During follow-up, lateral cephalograms were obtained (n = 52). Medical history was acquired from their medical files. Outcome was compared to previously published normal values and the Eurocleft study.

RESULTS

Soft and hard palate closure were performed at the age of 8 (SD 5.9) months and 3 (SD 2.2) years, respectively. The mean maxillary and mandibular angle (SNA, SNB) were 74.9° (SD 4.2) and 75.8° (SD 3.8). Maxillary and maxillomandibular relationships (SNA, ANB) were comparable to all Eurocleft Centres, except for Centre D. We observed a significantly steeper upper interincisor angle compared to the Eurocleft Centres.

CONCLUSIONS

This study describes the long-term craniofacial morphology in adults treated for a UCLP with hard palate closure at a mean age of 3 years. The mean maxillary angle SNA and mandibular angle SNPg were comparable to previous studies both applying early and delayed hard palate closure. The observed upper incisor proclination is likely caused by orthodontic overcorrection in response to the unfavourable jaw relationships. No clear growth benefit of this protocol could be demonstrated.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

The present study shows the long-term craniofacial morphology of UCLP adults after the Utrecht treatment protocol which includes two-stage palate closure.

Long-Term Follow-Up Study of Young Adults Treated for Unilateral Complete Cleft Lip, Alveolus, and Palate by a Treatment Protocol Including Two-Stage Palatoplasty: Speech Outcomes

BACKGROUND

No consensus exists on the optimal treatment protocol for orofacial clefts or the optimal timing of cleft palate closure. This study investigated factors influencing speech outcomes after two-stage palate repair in adults with a non-syndromal complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP).

METHODS

This was a retrospective analysis of adult patients with a UCLP who underwent two-stage palate closure and were treated at our tertiary cleft centre. Patients ≥17 years of age were invited for a final speech assessment. Their medical history was obtained from their medical files, and speech outcomes were assessed by a speech pathologist during the follow-up consultation.

RESULTS

Forty-eight patients were included in the analysis, with a mean age of 21 years (standard deviation, 3.4 years). Their mean age at the time of hard and soft palate closure was 3 years and 8.0 months, respectively. In 40% of the patients, a pharyngoplasty was performed. On a 5-point intelligibility scale, 84.4% received a score of 1 or 2; meaning that their speech was intelligible. We observed a significant correlation between intelligibility scores and the incidence of articulation errors (P<0.001). In total, 36% showed mild to moderate hypernasality during the speech assessment, and 11%-17% of the patients exhibited increased nasalance scores, assessed through nasometry.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study describes long-term speech outcomes after two-stage palatoplasty with hard palate closure at a mean age of 3 years old. We observed moderate long-term intelligibility scores, a relatively high incidence of persistent hypernasality, and a high pharyngoplasty incidence.

Surgery for velopharyngeal insufficiency: The outcomes of the University Hospitals Leuven

OBJECTIVES

We reviewed the outcomes of patients who underwent a velopharyngoplasty and subsequent speech therapy for velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) to determine possible prognostic variables.

METHODS

During the period 2002-2010, 91 patients with VPI underwent a velopharyngoplasty (either the Honig velopharyngoplasty, the modified Honig velopharyngoplasty or the Hynes pharyngoplasty). Of these, 62 had complete data for long-term evaluation of speech outcome and analysis of variables potentially influencing this outcome. Speech outcome was assessed using five criteria that were evaluated pre- and postoperatively: hypernasality, nasal emission, facial grimacing, retro-articulation and glottal stops. The former two variables were transformed into a semi-objective nasality index (NI), the latter three variables were assembled to form a subjective articulation index (AI). Prognostic variables for outcome that were studied included age at velopharyngoplasty, associated 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, intervention type, primary or secondary surgery and pre-intervention speech therapy.

RESULTS

Before surgery, based on the NI, 15 patients had mild VPI and 44 patients had moderate to severe VPI. Postoperatively at 12 months, 46 patients had a good speech outcome (normal or mild VPI), 13 patients had moderate VPI and no more severe VPI was observed. The overall success rate of 78% after one year increased to 90% in the long-term (median 27 months) with further speech therapy. Patients without the diagnosis of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome had better speech outcomes than patients with the syndrome. No statistically significant effect of the age at velopharyngoplasty on speech outcome was found. No cases of sleep apnea syndrome were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

Our protocol of patient tailored surgical interventions and further postoperative speech therapy results in good speech outcomes, with no or only mild remaining VPI for the majority of patients. The correction of VPI is more difficult for the subgroup of patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

Dandy-Walker syndrome with severe velopharyngeal dysfunction: a contraindication for Le Fort I surgery?

Dandy-Walker syndrome is a rare congenital brain deformation. Most symptoms are related with fourth ventricle and skull base malformations. Quite often, symptoms develop from infancy or progress rapidly. Cerebellar dysfunction, lack of muscle coordination, and skull deformities involving eye movement might be present. There are several Dandy-Walker syndrome complex types. We present a 23-year-old patient who had a severe dentofacial deformity with mandibular prognathism and extremely undeveloped maxillary bone resulting in palatopharyngeal and velopharyngeal dysfunction with complete lack of soft palate function resulting in increased speech tone and volume. Performing Le Fort I osteotomy in this case is greatly controversial and might result in even greater loss of function or even its total lack. Velopharyngeal complex is very important, and every surgeon should consider its value while planning Le Fort I osteotomies.

Velopharyngeal Dysfunction and 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: A Longitudinal Study of Functional Outcome and Preoperative Prognostic Factors

Objective

To describe the effect of time after velopharyngoplasty on outcome and to search for preoperative prognostic factors for residual hypernasality in patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

Design

Retrospective chart review.

Setting

Tertiary hospital.

Patients

Patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome and velopharyngeal dysfunction who underwent a primary (modified) Honig velopharyngoplasty between 1989 and 2009.

Main Outcome Measures

Clinically obtained perceptual and instrumental measurements of resonance, nasalance, and understandability before and after velopharyngoplasty.

Results

Data were available for 44 of 54 patients (81% follow-up), with a mean follow-up time of 7.0 years (range, 1.0 to 19.4 years). During follow-up, 24 (55%) patients attained normal resonance and 20 (45%) had residual hypernasality or underwent revision surgery. Mean postoperative nasalance and understandability scores were closer to the norm than mean preoperative scores were (2.0 versus 5.5 standard deviations for the normal passage, 1.3 versus 8.1 standard deviations for the nonnasal passage, and score 2.3 versus 4.1 understandability). Serial measurements revealed that hypernasality only resolved an average of 5 years after surgery, and three patients whose resonance initially normalized later relapsed to hypernasality. Gender, age at surgery, lateral pharyngeal wall adduction, velar elevation, presence of a palatal defect, previous intravelar veloplasty, nasalance, understandability, adenoidectomy, hearing loss, and IQ were not able to predict poor outcome following primary velopharyngoplasty (all p > .05).

Conclusions

In this chart review of patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome and velopharyngeal dysfunction, residual hypernasality persisted in many patients after velopharyngoplasty. None of the preoperative factors that were studied had prognostic value for the outcome.

In search of the optimal surgical treatment for velopharyngeal dysfunction in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Patients with the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22qDS) and velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD) tend to have residual VPD following surgery. This systematic review seeks to determine whether a particular surgical procedure results in superior speech outcome or less morbidity.

METHODOLOGY/ PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

A combined computerized and hand-search yielded 70 studies, of which 27 were deemed relevant for this review, reporting on a total of 525 patients with 22qDS and VPD undergoing surgery for VPD. All studies were levels 2c or 4 evidence. The methodological quality of these studies was assessed using criteria based on the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias. Heterogeneous groups of patients were reported on in the studies. The surgical procedure was often tailored to findings on preoperative imaging. Overall, 50% of patients attained normal resonance, 48% attained normal nasal emissions scores, and 83% had understandable speech postoperatively. However, 5% became hyponasal, 1% had obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and 17% required further surgery. There were no significant differences in speech outcome between patients who underwent a fat injection, Furlow or intravelar veloplasty, pharyngeal flap pharyngoplasty, Honig pharyngoplasty, or sphincter pharyngoplasty or Hynes procedures. There was a trend that a lower percentage of patients attained normal resonance after a fat injection or palatoplasty than after the more obstructive pharyngoplasties (11-18% versus 44-62%, p = 0.08). Only patients who underwent pharyngeal flaps or sphincter pharyngoplasties incurred OSA, yet this was not statistically significantly more often than after other procedures (p = 0.25). More patients who underwent a palatoplasty needed further surgery than those who underwent a pharyngoplasty (50% versus 7-13%, p = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS/ SIGNIFICANCE

In the heterogeneous group of patients with 22qDS and VPD, a grade C recommendation can be made to minimize the morbidity of further surgery by choosing to perform a pharyngoplasty directly instead of only a palatoplasty.

Anterior pillarplasty: a modification in cleft palate repair

After the primary repair of cleft palate, surgeons are frequently confronted with a short soft palate and a wide velopharyngeal space, both of which are known to diminish the quality of speech. We introduce a new modification of the primary repair of cleft palate that lengthens the soft palate and helps to reduce the volume of the velopharyngeal space. Ten patients younger than 12 months with nonsyndromic cleft palate were operated on with this technique. The incision at the cleft margin extended behind the uvula as a modification to the classic design of mucoperiosteal flaps. The sagittally divided mucosal layers of each anterior tonsillar pillar are sutured at the midline 1 cm posterior to the new uvula. The rate of postoperative fistula formation and other complications were evaluated postoperatively. One patient had a uvular and partly pillar detachment at the postoperative period. All other clefts healed without complication. The primary repair of the cleft palate with the anterior pillarplasty technique is a safe and easy-to-perform procedure. This modification can effectively reduce the transverse diameter of the velopharyngeal space and increase the anteroposterior length of the palate.

Efeito da veloplastia intravelar sobre a nasalidade em indivíduos com insuficiência velofaríngea

OBJETIVO: verificar o efeito da palatoplastia secundária realizada com veloplastia intravelar sobre a nasalidade e nasalância dos pacientes com fissura de palato reparada e insuficiência velofaríngea (IVF) e comparar os resultados entre estes pacientes, de acordo com o grau de fechamento velofaríngeo aferido na nasofaringoscopia. MÉTODO: estudo prospectivo com 40 pacientes de ambos os sexos, com idades entre 4 e 48 anos, com fissura de palato reparada e IVF residual, avaliado 3 dias antes e 8 meses após a palatoplastia, em média, divididos em dois grupos: um com 25 pacientes com falhas pequenas (grupo I) e outro com 15 pacientes com falhas médias a grandes (grupo II) no fechamento velofaríngeo. A hipernasalidade foi avaliada perceptivamente e nasalância foi avaliada por meio da nasometria. Diferenças entre grupos e etapas foram consideradas significativas ao nível de 5%. O estudo foi aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética para Pesquisa com Seres Humanos da Instituição. RESULTADOS: após a cirurgia, verificou-se redução da hipernasalidade em 84% dos pacientes do grupo I e em 73% dos pacientes do grupo II. Redução da nasalância foi observada em 52% dos casos do grupo I e em 43% dos pacientes do grupo II. CONCLUSÃO: a palatoplastia secundária com veloplastia intravelar levou à melhora da nasalidade na maioria dos pacientes analisados. Os resultados também demonstraram que a cirurgia foi mais efetiva nos pacientes que apresentavam falhas pequenas no fechamento velofaríngeo.

Velopharyngeal insufficiency: diagnosis and management

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Journal articles relevant to the diagnosis and treatment of velopharyngeal insufficiency were reviewed. All studies ascertained by PubMed search were included.

RECENT FINDINGS

Studies reported on the application of magnetic resonance scanning, reliability tests of the International Working Group diagnostic protocol, the use of nasometry, and techniques designed to assess the function of the velopharyngeal mechanism. Treatment studies focused on outcomes in small samples of cases and complication rates from pharyngeal flap. One study discussed ineffective speech therapy procedures.

SUMMARY

There were relatively few studies this past year. Those that were published were hindered by small and heterogeneous sample sizes and occasionally by inappropriate methods for assessing outcomes. None of the findings will have a major impact on the current state-of-the-art for diagnosis of velopharyngeal insufficiency. The speech therapy study has a very important message that should be taken to heart by all clinicians involved in the management of children with clefts and craniofacial disorders.