Posterior pharyngeal wall augmentation in post-adenoidectomy velopharyngeal insufficiency

To assess the efficacy of posterior pharyngeal wall augmentation using septal or conchal cartilages with other bulks-according to the persistent gap and the individual anatomy of each patient-in improving velopharyngeal function in patients who acquired persistent velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) post-adenoidectomy.

Observational descriptive prospective case series of 24 patients (their ages ranged between 3 and 26 years) who developed persistent VPI post-adenoidectomy (more than 3 months) although they had normal speech resonance before adenoidectomy.

The present study demonstrated that statistically significant improvement in auditory perceptual assessment (APA) was found regarding all obligatory speech disorders and unintelligibility of speech. Significant improvement was observed in the degree of velar mobility, size of the persistent gap, and the gap distance between velum and posterior pharyngeal wall at rest and during phonation in post-operative evaluation versus pre-operative. A significant change was observed in the closure pattern of the velopharyngeal port (VPP) as all patients turned to coronal closure.

Posterior pharyngeal wall augmentation could be used in VPI post-adenoidectomy up to 7 mm and lead to better speech outcomes. Also, it revealed that using conchal and/or septal cartilage as a graft regardless of the patient's age is a safe procedure.