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Pharyngeal flap surgery in adults
C D Hall1, K J Golding-Kushner, R V Argamaso
1Center for Craniofacial Disorders, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York 10467.
Abstract:
The elimination of hypernasal speech in patients with cleft palate following pharyngeal flap surgery in childhood is well established. However, pharyngeal flaps in adults have been considered to yield more modest results. This study reports on 20 adult patients with cleft palate-related hypernasality who underwent pharyngeal flap surgery. Normal nasal resonance was achieved in 15 cases, hyponasality occurred in 3 cases, and hypernasality persisted in 2 cases. However, speech intelligibility was not always dramatically improved. Indications and outcome were found to be highly dependent on preoperative articulation.